The Legend of Zelda: the Skribal Sword
by Narutotoro
Summary: In just over a month after her first adventure, Cleo heads off to another adventure. This time, she goes on a quest in the Twilight Realm in the midst of an alien invasion of giant insectoids and she must save it with the help from a lost spirit. A midquel between Mysterious Travel Guide and Bermuda Triangle. Rated K plus for slight mild language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

This is a midquel (yes, I totally made up that word) to the Mysterious Travel Guide and Bermuda Triangle. Any readers who are not familiar with the stories of Cleo and Finn should check out said fanfics. They will be in my account page, just click on my username to go there. Because this story took place between the first two stories I wrote, my best advise is to read them in chronological order (MTG, Skribal, BT). As usual, the entire fanfic was prewritten and previously posted on DeviantArt under the same username, so one chapter will be posted every few days, no long waiting for the fans. And it will have bonus chapters just like the last two that will tell you all the trivia involving the events of the story.

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

So here is my third story, the Legend of Zelda: the Skribal Sword.

* * *

Chapter 1

It has been over a month since that fateful trip to Hyrule. 11-year-old Cleo Hayster, a blond girl with blue eyes and a ponytail, was painting a pumpkin blue after she was done carving it into a scary face she'd seen in Super Paper Mario. "Sweetheart, your costume's here!" her father called.

"Woo-hoo!" She dropped her brush onto the newspaper on the floor and went bounding through the hallway, nearly crashing into Finn.

"Whoa, slow down squirt!" the tall, older brother cautioned with a laugh. He rubbed his brown, slightly spiky hair in wonder at her pent up energy. He was still getting used to Cleo's uplifted spirits after she had finally recovered from her grief over her mother's death, three years ago, and stopped blaming herself for the accident.

"Sorry bro!" she giggled as David, their father, came up with the package.

"Came just in the nick of time. I was worried it wasn't gonna make it. Ebay's always been difficult." He handed the parcel to his daughter who opened it eagerly with a "thank you."

Almost immediately, Cleo could see the green tunic and hat she was going to wear that day for Halloween. The whole outfit was a Wind Waker style hero's uniform, complete with a plastic sword and shield. "Cool!"

"You'd best put it on now. Trick-or-Treating's going to start in a few hours," David said with a warm smile. "I'll take care of the 'Bleck'-o-Lantern while you change."

"Okay!" Cleo went to her room and closed the door behind her. After a few minutes, she was in her costume.

There was a knock. "You done yet Cleo?" It was Finn.

"Yeah." She opened the door again and showed off her appearance. "How do I look?"

"Like a genuine hero," Finn grinned. There was a mewl and Cleo bent down to pick up a gray kitten with orange eyes. "I heard you got a new gym teacher at your school. What is his name again?"

"Watai," answered his sister. "He has a son about my age, but I haven't met him yet." She was absently stroking the kitten as it purred.

"Well it's almost time. Maybe you'll meet him out in the neighborhood."

Cleo looked up. "What do you mean? You're not coming?"

"Sorry sis," apologized Finn with a shrug. "I don't have a costume."

"But this is our first Halloween since we moved here!"

"Cleo, I'm almost eighteen. I'm too old for this kind of thing now." He saw the look of disappointment on her face. "We've got a few hours. Why don't we go some_place_."

Cleo's face brightened up again. "Are we going to..."

Finn smiled back. "Yeah... _that_ place."

It was weird of him to suggest 'that place', especially since it had been the middle of September when they'd last gone there and it had resulted in a crazy almost life threatening, adventure. She suddenly smirked. "I see what's going on," Cleo said snidely. "You want to visit Syrilla, don't you?"

Finn's face became red. "Well-I-a-" he stammered. "That's not it!" He turned away. "It's not like she's my girlfriend or anything!"

"_Right,_" she giggled. "It's okay, I don't mind visiting the Gerudo Fortress."

"Don't you _dare_ say anything to embarrass me in front of those Gerudos!"

"What are you guys arguing about?" Their dad came into the hallway.

"Nothing!" Finn said automatically, going even redder.

* * *

After getting the Hylian Travel Guide out of the hollow tile in the basement, tramping out to the woods, drawing a portal spell circle, reciting the incantation, appearing in the Lanayru Province, traveling to Lake Hylia, getting shot out of a cannon toward the desert, and walking across the sands along a canyon pathway, they finally arrived at the Gerudo's Fortress.

They were not the least bit worried that it took hours, knowing that when they got back, (even after days) hardly any time will have passed in their world. As they approached the entrance, a guard stopped them. "Who goes there?"

"Uh, Finn and Cleo," Finn responded, a bit unsure.

"Oh really... Prove it."

"What?! How?"

"Fight me. Prove to me that you're every bit the warrior Syrilla said you are."

"I'm not even armed! How was I supposed to know about this?"

The guard shrugged. "That's not my problem."

"_I'll_ do it," Cleo said with a sigh.

Finn looked at her. "Are you serious sis? All you've got is a plastic sword."

"I'll manage." Cleo stepped forward. "I'm ready."

The guard gave an amused smirk. "Brave one aren't you? For a child." She held her spear ready. Cleo also prepared herself.

Finn was about to open his mouth in protest when another female voice spoke "That won't be necessary". Finn gasped out. Coming to the entrance from the fortress was the Gerudian leader Syrilla. "At ease soldier." The guard nodded and backed off. Syrilla turned to the siblings with her hands on her hips, smirking at them. "It's been awhile _Finn._"

"H-hi... sorry I haven't called." Finn rubbed the back of his neck.

"No matter. Come on in." Then she turned her back and walked off. Finn watched her retreating back almost in a blank gawk.

Cleo sniggered. Finn looked at her. "Shut up!"

* * *

"You know I couldn't help but notice your eagerness to fight," Syrilla proclaimed as Finn and Cleo joined her in the sparring hall. "So you've been training your skills with a sword, have you?"

"Well... yeah sorta. I'm still practicing."

"Wait, you mean in a video game or in real life?" asked Finn in wonder.

"Both," Cleo piped with a bit of satisfaction.

Finn shook his head wryly. "I didn't know that!"

"Well in that case, let's see how strong your swings are." She held her staff tightly in a defensive position. "Now don't hold back, hit me with your best shot." Nodding, Cleo took out her sword and swiped horizontally at her and then made a vertical slice. Syrilla blocked her every move with the staff. "Very good. Now try to stab at me." Cleo charged forward and thrust at Syrilla who dodged with ease and countered. Cleo was knocked off her feet, causing Finn to gasp. "You need to be faster than that, even in defense. Now if I attack like this!" Syrilla was about to swing one way but then tried to psyche her out by changing her aim. Cleo was quick to notice and managed to block it with her shield. "Very good! And finally, a spin attack. Think you can pull this off?"

"I've never done this before. But here goes..." Cleo held her sword ready and spun as fast as she could. Syrilla blocked it and Cleo again fell on her rear. She was momentarily dizzy.

Finn came to his sister. "Are you alright?"

"Your balance needs work. You still got a long way before you're at my level." Syrilla gave her a warmer smile. "But you definitely have the makings of a great warrior. I guess that explains your green attire. Now what about you?" she asked Finn. "Have _you_ been practicing too?"

Finn looked at her with slight embarrassment. "Uh..."

Syrilla scoffed. "Slacker."

"Hey, c'mon! I had other things!"

"Well, whatever... I'll admit, you seem more like a strategist than anything. I could use that too."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Cleo asked in curiosity after getting back up.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. But you came at a perfect time. I just heard the whereabouts of a rare treasure up in the mountains and I plan to get my hands on it."

Cleo suddenly became more curious. "What kind of treasure?"

"You sure you want to know?" The child nodded with intense interest. "Very well. It's called the Moon Pearl. It's suppose to be a legendary treasure. According to my resources, it is located in the Temple of Hira."

"Really? I've heard of that. It's said to have the power to protect you from dark curses. We're really gonna find it?"

"Whoa! Hold the phone now!" Finn cut in. "Cleo, I know you're exited about this. But do you remember what happened the last time we had an adventure like this? You know, the one that was crazy and almost life threatening? Well there's a limit to this: One."

Syrilla shrugged. "A shame. But your brother's probably right." Finn was a little flustered at that. "It's your decision, and I won't force you otherwise. I was planning to go on my own anyway."

"Wow I..." Finn didn't know what to say.

"I'm glad you came to visit, Finn. It's _nice_ seeing you again." Syrilla armed herself with her two sabers. "I must be off now. Wish me luck you two." And then she was out the doorway.

Cleo was feeling a little let down. Then she looked at Finn and noticed something peculiar. The look on his face immediately told her that he was about to make a really stupid decision. It wasn't long before both siblings caught up with Syrilla. "Hey, wait up!"

* * *

They got the horses ready and climbed up to the higher grounds of the canyon and crossed a bridge that stretched over a valley far below. On the other side they climbed even higher on a mountain. Cleo could feel her ears popping as they neared their destination.

The temple was a tall tower. It was in the shape of a square layered cake (that was the child's impression), each floor slightly smaller than the previous. The dull bricks almost blended into the rocky environment. They dismounted and walked up the stairs into the building.

Inside, the interior was decorated with the blazing sun and crescent moon. There were stalfos and weird looking beetles guarding the place. There were many crystal switches throughout the tower that opened certain gates and closed others. There were also pitfalls, some of them hidden that wouldn't open until you walked across it and suddenly found yourself a floor or two back down. The puzzle solving required a bit of teamwork and cooperation. It took awhile (around a couple of hours) before they reached the top.

As they came outside again at the top, the brightness of the setting sun shined on their faces and a cold breeze (that felt pleasantly refreshing after an exhausting climb) blew through their hair. And there, sitting out in the open, was the Moon Pearl, pale and glossy.

"Well, that wasn't so hard!" Finn had to shout over the howling wind. "I was expecting _something_ big to happen." He was about to take a step when he suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute." He picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it at the path to the pearl. A pitfall opened up before them. "I knew it!" The hole was big, too big to just hop across.

"So what do you suppose we do?" asked Syrilla.

"Give me a second to think. Maybe-Cleo!" He saw his sister run full pelt toward the pit and leap as far as she could. He could barely breathe when she caught the edge on the other side and pulled herself up. She had made it. Despite that moment of terror, Finn and Syrilla started whooping excitedly.

Cleo was grinning ear to ear. "I'll get the pearl!" She turned around and reached out to grab it. What happened next was when the real trouble started.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 2

As Cleo picked up the luminous orb and placed it in her backpack, something strange was happening. The sun got so low in the horizon that both night and day seemed fused in the sky. The moment the twilight started, the Moon Pearl began to act strange. From inside the backpack, it started to glow so brightly that the light shone through.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Cleo in shock.

"Sis, what's happening?!" Finn called out.

"I don't know!" She suddenly felt as though she was being pulled away by some invisible force. She looked around and saw her own shadow growing and changing shape. She realized that the shadow was pulling her inside it. "FINN!"

"CLEO!" Finn was about to run toward her and nearly fell down the pit.

Syrilla caught him and held on to his arm tightly. "Wait, you idiot!"

"CLEO!" he called again. Cleo was trying to fight off the black shadow, but it soon enveloped her. Somehow, the shadow had come to life and was going to consume her. Terrified, she heard her brother's frantic calls fading away as everything disappeared into darkness...

_She was falling... falling... falling... Memories were fading... She no longer knew anything... All was nothing to her... she felt lost... alone... ...Then she heard a voice... calling her name... She looked up and saw someone falling with her... But all she could see was his silhouette... A man in robes was coming closer... reaching out his hand to her..._

... ... ...Cleo opened her heavy eyelids. The first thing she saw was nothing but a blur, there were dark colors all around her and the only source of light was on the horizon. It was the same gleam of twilight as before. What had happened? Then a tall, shadowy figure was towering above her, its features unrecognizable in her hazy vision. And before she could figure out who or what it was... she once again fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Finn, there was nothing you could have done! She's gone now..."

"I know that! But where has she gone?!" Finn was sitting on a stone balustrade, holding his hands to his face. "C'mon Finn, THINK!"

"Just calm down already!"

"How can I calm down at a time like this?! Cleo is God knows where, probably in a terrible situation for all we know, and all we can do is sit here without a clue-"

Syrilla grabbed him and gave him a good rough shake. "WILL YOU GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, FOR DIN'S SAKE!"

Finn was panting hard. "You're right... I-I need to-to stop freaking out." He let himself breathe more slowly. "Okay, I remember Cleo grabbing the pearl... night was falling... then the pearl started glowing... and then this big shadow came and grabbed her and... she disappeared into it. I just need to know what caused all that. Is it because she grabbed it that it happened or is it something else?" Finn was thinking hard. "She grabbed it... it was twilight a minute later-wait!" A sudden thought struck him. "Could she be in..."

"What is it?"

"I think I know where Cleo is!" Finn suddenly jumped up and ran down the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Zelda!"

"The princess? Why her?"

"Because she'll know what to do!" Finn didn't stop running as he called back. He soon reached his horse and mounted, then he took off. Hopefully, Zelda _could_ help.

* * *

Cleo opened her eyes again, this time she could see more clearly. She was lying on her back, staring up at the dark gray ceiling. She sat up from the bed, groaning, and shook her head because she was still a little light-headed. She looked around her. "Where am I?" The room she was in was made of stone... or was it metal? There were glowing neon lines on the walls and floor in a high-tech geometric pattern. There was a large, plain square on the wall next to her and a small plain circle. She touched the circle and the square opened up, revealing the world outside. She gasped out in disbelief. "No way..." It was still twilight, in fact, it was always twilight here. She was no longer in Hyrule, but in Midna's world. "How the heck did I get here?"

"Hi there!" Cleo jumped at the sudden sound of an unknown, echoing voice with a yelp. She turned around and saw someone standing beside her. But he hadn't been there a second ago. He chortled. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle ya!" he chimed. After overcoming the shock of his sudden appearance, Cleo got a good look at him.

He was a Twili, no doubt about that. He was short, for an adult, around the same height as herself. Like all Twilis, he had a marbled black and white body and glowing tattoos. Unlike the others, who had teal tattoos, his were acid green. He had long red hair and a beard, and his face... was pretty oddball looking. Eyes round as coins, a flat nose, wide mouth, and when he laughed, she could see a slightly curved canine.

"So, what's your name kiddo?" he said in a somewhat elderly voice, with a slight Asian edge to it.

"Um, it's Cleo. And you?"

"Oh, right! Where are my manners? My name's Okam," he answered with a bow. His name was as odd as his face, Cleo thought.

"Uh, right... So what is this place?"

"This? This here is the Twilight Palace."

"Really? Is Midna here?"

"Well yes..." said Okam with a shrug. "She did claim you two know each other. Unfortunately, she's very busy right now. You see-" But before he could explain, an echoing, female voice interrupted.

"Okam, have you managed to revive my friend?" A tall Twili woman came in through the doorway.

Cleo recognized her. "Midna, hey!" she greeted with a wide grin.

Midna smiled upon seeing her. "So our little sleeping beauty awakens, finally."

"It's great to see you again, Midna!" They both locked hands.

"Hey hey! Mind your manners!" Okam cautioned. "She's the Twilight Princess, you should address her as such."

"Oh, now Okam. Cleo is my friend, I don't mind the least bit." Midna rolled her eyes. She turned back to Cleo. "I'm amazed that you're here. How did you avoid becoming a lost spirit?"

"What?" She was a little confused at first, but then realized what Midna meant. It finally occurred to her that she, a normal human being, was in the Twilight Realm and yet nothing had happened to her. "I-I don't know. I really don't."

"So you're in the dark too, huh?" said Okam, rubbing his chin. "I was wondering why you're still among us."

"So if I can enter the Twilight Realm without becoming a lost spirit, does that mean I can visit you anytime now?"

Midna's smile had suddenly saddened. "I'd like that, but... I'm afraid you came at a very bad time."

"Why's that?" Cleo asked. Midna opened her mouth, but then she turned around, abruptly. "What?"

"Okam, do you hear that?"

The elder Twili's face had hardened. "Yes, I hear it." His tone was serious.

"I don't hear anything," Cleo said, unsure. But then she did. It was faint at first and it grew over time. It was a weird scuttling sound. "What is that?"

"C'mon!" Midna gestured for them both to follow. They were soon out in the hallway, running as though there was something urgent. They came to a very wide window where they could see everything in the castle town. And what Cleo saw out there was horrible.

Insects, giant black insects were swarming the whole town. Buildings crumbled underneath their tread, fires erupted, smoke was rising. They were headed straight toward the palace. But then they were shot down by a rain of arrows from the guards. Several bugs managed to get onto the palace walls before they were felled by kargarok riders. The last one (a beetle) almost reached the window Cleo was at and she jumped back, startled. "What the hell is going on?!"

She looked out the window again, the invaders seemed to be retreating. Midna watched with great worry, Okam scowled. "They nearly got in... You should really deduct the guards's pay until they can do a better job!"

Midna placed her fingers to her forehead. "It's getting worse."

"Mid, what _are_ those things?" Cleo asked.

"What's this?" Okam demanded. "First you neglect 'Princess', then you call her by a stupid nickname?" Cleo was starting to get annoyed by this guy.

"Okam, now's not the time for lessons in manners," Midna said heavily. "Cleo is, unfortunately, getting caught up in all this. It's time we filled her in."

* * *

"For the past fortnight, the Realm of Shadows has been under serious threat of an invasion. We still don't know where they came from or how they came to be here," Midna explained as they went to the lower floors. There, Cleo saw a crowd of Twili citizens taking refuge from the giant insects. "As you can see, these people have been driven from their homes, some of them were not so lucky."

Cleo looked on, almost in tears. A lot of the Twilis looked quite scared. "Why is this happening? What do they want?"

"What do you think? They want their home back," Okam answered as though it was obvious.

"I don't mean the people, I meant the bugs!"

Midna shook her head. "There's just no telling."

"Is there _anything_ we can do?"

"There is, it's something we've been trying to do. We're looking for the Essences of Light."

"Essences of Light? What's that?"

"Well, I don't know much about it. It was Okam who suggested it."

Okam cleared his throat. "The Essences of Light," he recited. "are the very life blood of the Twilight Realm. They are like sols, only a hundred times more powerful than the two here in the palace. They were created to keep this realm in balance and without it, not even we Twilis will wholly exist in the Realm of Shadows. They are what shaped our race from the Dark Interlopers who were banished here long ago." Okam looked at the curious expression on Cleo's face and seemed to have read her mind, for he added "An old scroll was recently discovered, it told me all there is to know about them. From what I understand, it may be the key to saving our world."

"How many are there?"

"There are eight in total. Some guards and I were out trying to find the first one when _you_ suddenly dropped in on us. Besides that, we were unsuccessful in finding the Moon Pearl."

"What?! The Moon Pearl? Are you saying it's an Essence of Light?"

Both Midna and Okam looked surprised. "Wait, are you saying you know where it is?" he asked.

"I have it with me!" Cleo took off her backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out the treasure for them to see.

_She got the Moon Pearl. Its soft glow lights the night and protects the lost!_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 3

The citizens had taken notice of the Moon Pearl's glow and they started gathering around Cleo, looking on with awe and a hint of hope. Okam had his mouth open, almost blank-staring. "You had this the _whole_ time?"

"I didn't know you were looking for it! I found it in the Temple of Hira."

"Of course!" Midna piped up. "That explains why you haven't turned. It's light is protecting you."

"You'd best hold onto that thing," Okam cautioned. Nodding, Cleo put it away in her backpack. "It was lucky you found it. But there's still seven others to find."

"Where are-" but whatever question she was going to ask was soon drowned out by an evil cackle. Everyone looked around, the citizens cowering in fear. Then, out of nowhere, a smoky image appeared above their heads. It was Midna's face, half covered in hair, but it couldn't be... Cleo whipped her head toward the Midna standing behind her. The Twilight Princess looked shocked, then her expression turned to fury. Cleo looked back at the floating face and realized that it was some kind of impostor, Midna would never laugh so cruelly. "Who is that?"

"Veran... I thought I had banised you from the Twilight Realm!" Midna called out.

"Midna," Veran answered in a sweet tone. "It's been too long... Do you really think you can keep me out forever?"

"So it was _you_ then?! You are the one behind the invasion?"

"Oh, what gave me away? Am I _that_ obvious?"

"I've told you once before, this realm will not be yours to rule! Have you learned _nothing_ from our last skirmish?"

Veran sneered. "Nothing can stop me from what I desire! So, I've learned that you have found one of the Essences of Light."

"And just _how_ do you know _that?_" Okam asked.

"Why else did my insect army try to get into your palace? You know, they're awfully attracted to bright light."

"I'll bet you long to snuff it out! Why don't you just skedaddle back where you came from."

"As you wish, old man. But know this: I _will_ come back and claim what is rightfully mine!"

"I don't think so!" Cleo suddenly spoke up, rather bravely.

"Who is this brat?" demanded Veran in a more booming voice.

"Hey kid, don't interfere!"

Cleo ignored Okam. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're not the boss of us and I'm not gonna let you be!"

Veran gave an amused smirk. "And just what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to find the rest of the essences and save the Twilight Realm! And then I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Both Midna and Okam were taken aback. "Cleo, think what you're saying!" Midna warned.

Veran let out another terrible cackle. "The word of a child means nothing. But if you insist on death, I won't hesitate in ending your life!"

"You are _not_ hurting Cleo!" Midna spat.

"Your friend has sealed her fate. She will be the first to die as an example to all who resist me!"

"VERAN!"

"And it will be on your conscience Midna... Until then... farewell, dear sister." And with that, the smoky image of Veran was gone.

* * *

"Just _what,_ in the name of Culex was that all about?" Okam questioned dubiously, looking at Cleo with agitation.

"Why? I can't just stand by and let all this happen!"

"You're going to get yourself killed, you whippersnapper!"

"I'm still not gonna let it happen!" Cleo continued, stubbornly.

"Did you forget that you're just a child? You're no hero, kid."

She glared at him. "Yes, I am!"

Okam barked out a laugh. "And how, pray tell, are you going to fight an entire insect army with such a flimsy sword?" He grabbed the tip of the plastic cosplay sword and pulled it back, causing it to twa-a-a-ang when he let go. She gave him a whack on the head. He was unimpressed. "That didn't even hurt."

"Enough!" Midna had walked in on their argument. "I've managed to calm the people down."

"Midna, please give me permission to go search for the Essences of Light," Cleo asked, at once.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Okam shouted exasperatedly, face-palming.

"Cleo, I appreciate your generous bravery, but I'm afraid Okam has a point. Yes, I overheard the argument," Midna added before Cleo could say anything. "It's far too dangerous."

"But-"

"You shouldn't even be here, this is not your realm."

"Neither is Hyrule, yet when Ganondorf attacked I decided to stay and fight instead of going home. I didn't care! Innocent people were getting hurt and-"

"I understand!" Midna cut in.

"Cleo, When people do good deeds, evil will do everything it can to bite them in the butt. It's the way things are." They looked at Okam. "I have seen something like that in the pa-"

"Thank you, Okam!" After he said "sorry" with a bow, Midna turned back to her friend. "Cleo, will nothing I say change your mind?" She got her answer from the determined look on Cleo's face. "I see," she sighed. She knew she was going to regret this. "As the Twilight Princess, I Midna hereby appoint you the task of gathering the remaining seven Essences of Light. But before we start, we'd best give you a better weapon." Midna paused for a moment. "And I think I know just the one."

* * *

Midna and Okam teleported themselves and Cleo to another room. There was a huge door with some kind of large circular lock which had long cylinder pins through it. "This door is specially sealed, only the rightful ruler of the Twilight Realm can open it," Midna explained. She raised her hands and, staring hard at it in total concentration, summoned her magic. Her red hair came to life and elongated rapidly toward the lock and inserting itself into three holes. There was a sound of booming, metal clicks, whirls, and shifting. The pins pulled themselves out and the lock turned counter-clockwise. Finally the door opened slowly.

"What's in there?" Cleo asked.

"You'll see in a moment." As they strolled though the door, into the huge vault, Cleo's eyes widened. For a fleeting moment, she thought it was the Master Sword, but upon a closer look, she realized that the sword she was looking at was different. The crossguard was straight instead of curved downwards and the blade's shape was tightly twisted, like an entwined rope. "This is called the Skribal Sword and it's got powers unique from any other magical blade. If it accepts you, only then would I allow you to venture off on your quest."

Saving the question of what powers it would have, knowing she'll learn soon enough, Cleo stepped forward and grabbed the hilt. She struggled for a couple of seconds (it didn't seem to budge at first) until a runed stone embedded in the blade glowed and the sword slid out smoothly. Cleo held it out and examined it closely, then gave it a few swings before sheathing it.

Midna was utterly amazed for some reason. Since she was too busy staring in awe, Okam took over. "Well then, I think it's time to teach you how to use its power. If you will come over here to this wall," he beckoned. Cleo walked over to his side and noticed a rectangle outlined on the wall. "Have you noticed the stone with a rune on the blade?"

"Yea?"

"Well, touch it and see what happens." Cleo took out the sword again and did as told. The moment she placed her finger on the rune, the tip glowed bright. "Now touch the tip to this wall and trace it." She tried it and a glowing line trailed behind the sword's movement. She instantly thought of drawing on a DS screen and tried to draw a rupee. When she was done, a bunch of real rupees popped out of the wall.

"Wow, cool!" Then she drew a heart and heart-shaped fruit was produced. "What kind of sword is this?"

"The Skribal Sword is not just a weapon to fight, but also a tool to create. It has been around since before the Twilis."

"Where did it come from."

"Unfortunately, any records of its origin are long gone. All we have is the info on how it works. But as long as we have known about its power, no one has been able to wield it until now. I will honestly say, I didn't think it would choose you of all people for you're neither a Twili or an adult."

"You say that as though the sword has a mind of its own."

Okam shrugged. "I don't fully understand it myself."

"You should take a closer look at the blade," Midna suggested. Cleo glanced at the rune again and quickly noticed (wondering why she hadn't done so before) that there were three holes below the rune. "The one you have is the Rune of Skribal, it's permanently attached to the blade. It's not the only rune in existence, there are others out there. The three extra slots are there for them. If you ever come across them, you can place them in these slots to gain new powers and abilities, so use them wisely. Do you understand everything?"

"I think so, yes."

"Cleo, you should know that even with that sword in hand, the road ahead will be very difficult."

"Will you come with me?"

Before Midna could answer, Okam said "Sorry kid, but that's not an option. She's the Twilight Princess and she needs to stay right here for her people's sake."

Cleo was a little disappointed. She would've loved to have Midna for a partner. "I suppose you're right," she sighed.

"Tell you what Cleo, _I'll_ come with you!" Okam offered as though it was the treat of a lifetime.

"_No thanks,_ you'll just slow me down."

"Hey, didn't your mother teach you to respect your elders?" Okam asked in annoyance.

"I'll be fine on my own, thanks!"

"Are you absolutely _sure?_" asked Midna. "There's no telling what these insects are capable of."

Cleo smiled. "Don't worry, I'm a fast learner!" And with that, she turned and left the vault. "Wish me luck!"

"How much do you want to bet she won't last long?" Okam whispered to Midna.

"OKAM!"

"I'm just kidding!" the elder Twili laughed. "Still have my doubts, though..." he added in an undertone.

* * *

There was a shop at the refugee camp on the first floor. Cleo spent her rupees on a new shield so she'd be better protected. She also supplied herself with magic bottles in which the Skribal Sword was powered by. She asked around the camp for any info on the Essences of Light. The Twilis told her of a rumor that the Pitch Black Caves may contain one of the essences she was seeking and that the cave was near a Twili village. She took off and was directed, by a guard, to a warp that would take her there. Cleo was soon off on her quest.

Warping to a much larger floating isle, she walked along a path through a field without encountering any of the giant insects. But then, a poe came out of nowhere and attacked her. It was small and easy to deal with. After it vanished upon defeat, the lantern it was carrying fell and shattered. What she found inside was something she needed very much for her journey.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 4

When the lantern broke in half after hitting the ground, the small light didn't fade. It rose out and just floated there. Cleo stepped carefully closer to it to get a better look, then gave it a prod with the Skribal Sword, it had no effect. A second take and she could clearly see that it was a small blueish-green flame. She had seen these things before in Twilight Princess, they were supposed to be lost spirits, once human before they unfortunately stumbled into the Realm of Shadows.

"Hello?" Cleo tried to say. It completely ignored her. Whoever this poor soul was, it was totally unaware that she was there or aware of itself.

She looked at it bereftly, wondering what to do. Cleo herself was lucky she didn't suffer the same fate, thanks to the Moon Pearl... A sudden thought struck her. She took off her backpack and brought out the Essence of Light. Hoping this would work, she brought it close to the ball of flame that was the soul.

A beautiful light shined from the pearl and traveled to the lost spirit. It spun and splintered and enveloped it like worm silk creating a cocoon. The light got brighter for a moment before it suddenly stopped. For a moment, in her sinking heart, she thought that nothing had happened. But then...

"... ... hnn... ...W-wha... ... ...whe...am I... Where am I?..." Cleo heard an adult male voice coming from the lost spirit, its light pulsating in rhythm of its speech. "...Who-who are you?"

Cleo smiled hugely. Although it (he, she corrected herself) still didn't get back a recognizable body, at least the spirit was no longer lost. "Hi!" she greeted cheerfully. "Glad to see you revived somewhat. I'm Cleo."

"Cleo?... What... has happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," she replied with a shrug. There was a pause. "Are you still there?"

"I apologize... It is just... ...I do not remember... anything..."

"You... have amnesia?"

"...I suppose so..."

Cleo made a sad groan. "I guess the light given to you was much weaker than I thought. Maybe one essence won't do for a full revival, not enough juice."

"'Juice'? What do you mean by 'juice'?"

"Never mind." Cleo supposed he didn't come from a modern society. He was probably from Hyrule. "Now, about your name. Do you remember what your real name is, or do I have to come up with one?"

"Uh, no. I think I... ... It is Jack, I think... But that is all I can remember about myself."

"Um, hey Jack. Would you like to come with me? I'm looking for the Essences of Light. So far, I found one and there are seven others. The Moon Pearl is what brought back your awareness, so if we find the rest of them and combine their powers, we might be able to bring you back completely."

"Do you really think that will work?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"Well... I suppose I can come along. I do not know if I can be much help, however."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just go to the Twili Village." And that was when a new friendship started. Cleo, no longer alone, was now followed by the floating spirit, Jack, as she continued toward her destination. On the way, she filled him in with what had been happening lately in the Twilight Realm and why she had to gather the eight essences. But when they arrived, she realized that there was nobody there. A rural village, with buildings that look like they were carved from smooth rock formations, lay still and quiet. "Is it just me or do you have a feeling like we're being watched."

"There are people here, I am sure of it."

"Good instinct, Jack."

"They are not coming out of their buildings... Something is wrong."

"Yea, and I know why... Veran."

Then there was a faint sound of scuttling approaching. "Do you hear that?" asked Jack.

Cleo spun round to where the noise was coming from. "Uh-oh!" The giant insects (beetles more specifically) were marching their way, she and Jack dived out of sight behind a wheelless wagon. They watched them crawl past, she counted ten. "What's going on?"

"I do not know."

Then the beetles all stopped in the very center of the village, the one leading them stood on its hind legs and, to Cleo's amazement, actually spoke. "We are here to take more of your food for our army!" it announced to the citizens hiding in the buildings. "If you wish to continue living your pathetic lives, bring it out now!"

Then, an elderly Twili woman with white glowing hair came out of hiding by teleporting before the leader. "You've already taken most of our supplies!" she spoke up bravely. "We barely have enough now to sustain ourselves, only a week's worth left!"

"Then we will take your week's worth old hag!"

"You can't do this!" Her words were barely heard over more scuttling as the beetles charged forward and broke into the storage house. "Please, stop this! We'll starve!"

"Starving is the least of your problems now! Soldiers, after you take the food, annihilate the Twilis!" Then the leader knocked the elder down and was about to finish her.

"STOP IT!" Cleo jumped out of her hiding place and got her sword and shield ready.

"Wait Cleo! You do not know-" but Cleo was barely listening. She was so mad that she charged in a war cry... and then was sent flying by a back hand from the beetle, hitting flat against a wall. She slid down onto the ground and laid sprawled on her back, a drop of blood rolled out her nose. Jack floated above her. "I tried to warn you."

"That... was embarrassing..." She got up and wiped the blood off her face.

"Cleo, please listen. If you want to defeat these insects, you need to follow my guidance."

"But how-" Her question was cut short when the beetle, that had countered, came after her. She quickly dodged out of the way, barely avoiding a foreleg that looked capable of impaling her.

"Please, just trust me!" Not sure how he could help, she nonetheless agreed. She stood before her opponent, more ready this time. "I see a weak point. Do not strike just yet." She kept focus on the weak point he described while avoiding the beetle's attacks. Then it raised its foreleg. "NOW!" Cleo charged toward it and stabbed at the weak point. It was down but not out. No longer able to stand upright on its hind legs, it continued its assault on all six. Jack found another weak point and guided Cleo to victory. It fell in defeat and exploded.

With the first one gone, Cleo and Jack ran after four others attacking the village. Jack guided her and she made her move in the right places at the right time. After a hard struggle, five beetles were destroyed, the other five had already gone.

Cleo was panting hard, letting herself drop on her rear. Some of the villagers were coming out of their buildings (some just popped out of nowhere). "How... do you... know... about... their weak...ness..." she asked between pants.

Jack sighed "I just do. I do not know why..."

"You were... a lot of help... It was very lucky I found you." The Twilis were starting to mutter things to each other, she could catch some words about what she just did.

The elderly one came to her. "What is your name child?"

"...Cleo..."

"You have saved all our lives, we could never be more grateful. Unfortunately, the rest of the invaders have fled with all our food. We have nothing left now..."

Cleo looked around her and could see, quite clearly, that the storage house was torn wide open and there was not a single scrap left inside. "I'm sorry about that. But we can't lose hope just yet. Maybe..." She got up and looked around again. There was a faint rectangle outlining the wall of one of the houses. Approaching it, she touched the Rune of Skribal, activating the sword's magic. She drew hearts and rupees and, to the Twilis' amazement, real heart fruit and rupees appeared out of thin air. She kept drawing until there was enough for everyone. "Will all this do?" The whole of Twili Village responded with a loud cheer. They ran forward to collect their new spoils or, much to her embarrassment, group hug her.

* * *

"Bah! I can not believe this!" Veran spat as she watched Cleo through a swirling mass of cloud that was showing the image. She waved it way impatiently. "I was sure my terrifying threat would frighten the pathetic girl into running away, like any other teary brat." She started pacing back and forth. "This Cleo is much tougher than I thought... Fine, if she is going to act like a hero, I'll just raise the stakes a little."

She turned to one shadowy corner and a mantis-like warrior appeared from it. It bowed. "You called my Mistress?" it said in a dry, dry voice.

"Thrifos, a child is on her way to Pitch Black Caves in search of the Essence of Light. Go there and give her my regards, in your own _special_ way. And one more thing... do _not_ underestimate her."

"Yes, my Mistress... I look forward to it..." There was a hint of wicked amusement to its tone. It let out a dark chuckle before disappearing again.

* * *

"So you came to seek out the Essence of Light?" asked the elder.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here. I need to gather all eight so I can put a stop to all this."

"You're a brave young 'un. But getting the essence will not be easy. The cave it resides in is crawling with monsters and filled with traps."

"I can do it. After defeating _that_ bug, the rest will be easy," Cleo claimed with self-confidence.

"Well then, if you truly wish to go..." the old woman conjured a key out of thin air. "This will unlock the entrance to the cave. Please be careful."

Cleo accepted it. "Thanks."

After receiving the key and the village's gratitude filled goodbye, she set off with Jack. "Cleo," he started. "I know you are eager to find the essences, but do you not think that maybe you are getting ahead of yourself?"

Cleo looked at him curiously. "No, why?"

"Did you forget that you almost got killed by that thing?"

"Yeah, but I had help from you. I know it's dangerous to go alone, that's why I'm taking you."

"...Right."

"Don't worry, Jack. It'll be a piece of cake."

"What will be a piece of cake? Is the essence a cake?"

Cleo face palmed. "_No,_ of course not."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 5

As the pair got closer to the cave, not too far off, a robotic stalfos was watching Cleo from a cliff. "Yar har har har har! Another victim ripe fer the picking!" he laughed in a mechanical voice. He got his weapon ready and slinked into the shrubbery.

Cleo thought she heard rustling and looked around. "What is wrong?" asked Jack.

Before she could answer, the robot sprang out of hiding. "What the!?"

"Hello there lass, would ye mind sparing me some of yer goods?" he asked in a tone that was obviously feigning friendliness.

"Who are you?"

"I? I be LD-052S Scervo, the most feared pirate in the Twilight Realm!"

"If you're a pirate, where's your ship and crew?"

"Don't get smart with me ya wandering urchin! I be a lone wolf pirate, I don't need the likes of anyone. I have plundered traveling caravans and traders all on me own. Now if ye don't want to get hurt lassie, surrender all yer valuables!"

"Is he for real?" Cleo asked Jack. He didn't respond, and she couldn't be sure if he was shrugging. "Look mister, I don't know who you think you are, but you're getting in our way. And I'm not gonna surrender anything to you."

"Fine, if this is ter be a fight, then so be it!" Scervo brought out his sword which was sparkling with electricity.

"Uh-oh!"

"This is not good!" And Jack was right. Not only did the robot pirate have a dangerous weapon, he knew how to use it. Cleo dodged as best she could and blocking wasn't an option. She did get hit once and her whole body was electrocuted. She fell, stunned. Scervo was about to strike again when the spirit flew up at his face.

"Gerroff ya mangy spark!" Cleo, the moment she recovered from her paralysis, saw an opportunity to strike. She leapt up and swung her weapon at his sword arm, slicing it clean off.

"YOW! What the blazes?!" Scervo looked at Cleo's sword with a look of shock. "That cannot be! The Skribal Sword?"

"You know about it?"

"Yar har har! Never I thought I'd lay eyes on it, says I! A golden opportunity, it will be, ter wield a powerful blade."

"Fat chance!"

"Fat... chance? That does not make any sense," Jack mused. Cleo ignored his confusion and attacked again. Scervo caught the blade in the hook on his other arm.

"The Skribal Sword is _mine!_" The tip of the blade was close to his face and Cleo, quickly thinking, touched the Rune of Skribal. The tip lit up and blinded him then, quick as lightning, she loosened the sword from his grip and slashed one of his legs. He fell on his back in total shock. "Im-impossible!"

"You mean improbable!" Cleo said with a laugh.

Scervo grabbed his burned out sword and used it to lift himself back up again. "This isn't over yet! I will return, ye can count on that!" Then he limped off.

"God, I sure hope I don't run into anymore of those loonies during this quest!" Cleo murmered, exasperated, as she put away her sword.

"Me too," Jack agreed. After another half hour of walking and fighting a few weaker insects, they finally reached Pitch Black Caves. Ignoring the "DANGER, keep out" sign, Cleo unlocked the large wrought iron door. (Zelda chime) "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Cleo.

"...Nothing."

They entered the cave, into the darkness. In the first room was a glowing crystal switch, Cleo struck it and the whole room brightened, but only temporarily. She found the first key, unlocking the next door and the moment she went through, she realized that the giant bugs had got there first somehow, undoubtably looking for the essence. The bugs were the least of her problems though, there were traps for her to overcome. There were bottomless pits that she couldn't see without hitting a light switch which only lit up for a second so that she needed to memorize a path across the skinny bridges. The first puzzle was a long row of ten light switches. A strike changed one and specific others on or off. Cleo eventually figured out a pattern and lit them all, giving her the Rune of Anubis. It granted her a new power to create a shadow duplicate of herself by tracing around her body. With a double to mimic her every move in a mirrored pattern, Cleo proceeded to the double-mazes. Getting past them in a well thought out path (the two mazes were not exactly the same), they both reached two wall switches that needed to be pulled at the same time. The door opened next to the real Cleo and she canceled out her shadow. Finally, Cleo was rewarded the big key and went though the last door.

She entered an altar of some kind, lit by wall torches. At the wall on the other side was a plinth, on top was nothing. "Huh? Where's the essence? Shouldn't it be there?"

Jack floated over to it. "There is nothing. Perhaps we might be too late."

Then suddenly, there was cruel, dry laughter ringing throughout the room. "Of course it's not here," said the dry voice. "It's not yet time for the Realm of Shadows to fuse with the Realm of Light."

"Uh oh, something tells me I'm about to have a boss fight," Cleo thought out loud. The laughter rang out again.

A silhouette appeared from the ceiling, upside-down. She looked up an saw it was a human mantis. "What exactly do you mean?" Jack asked.

"The Essence of Light is not here in this realm. It resides in the mirrored world. Only when twilight touches that world would it appear here. Unfortunately for _you,_ you'll not live long enough to see it." The intruder dropped down from the ceiling and faced them with blades extending from its arms.

"Yep, I called it, boss fight." Cleo got her sword ready.

**Ninja Mantis Soldier:**  
**Thrifos**

Thrifos moved like a viper, making it hard to dodge his attacks. Jack helped Cleo time her attacks and counters. Then Thrifos split into two and jumped about wildly around the room, striking her. Both of him were solid and able to hurt her. He cackled, he was toying with her. Cleo created another shadow double and attacked the mantis duo. After a few strike backs, Thrifos spun his body like a tornado, blowing out the torches and darkening the room. Then Cleo got hit again by that move and was knocked down hard. Despite the darkness, Jack was still able to see and told her where to strike. Listening hard for the enemy, she waited... he was moving in for the kill... Jack flashed brightly, revealing him and she thrust hard.

The sword went right through him, there was a look of shock in his large eyes. They went dim as Cleo pulled away and he fell, burning into ashes. Cleo, covered in scratches (and a large bruise on her face from the tornado attack) stood triumphant. She sheathed the Skribal Sword.

A bright light suddenly appeared above the altar and she turned around to watch it grow brighter and more brilliant. In a shimmering blast, an object appeared, made of silver and black onyx in the shape of a stylized silver body and it's black shadow. She went over and picked it up.

_She got the Cast Shadow. The light summons an echo of the lost and reveals their image!_

* * *

_Father... father... father, where are you! ...I am scared!_

_I am here my son, do not worry._

_Father, I got lost. I could not find my way._

_I told you not to wander off into the woods, it is not safe. Your mother and I were worried._

_I know... I am sorry, please forgive me._

_I am thankful you are not hurt. Let us go home..._

* * *

Cleo and Jack trudged all the way back to the Palace of Twilight and presented the Cast Shadow to Midna and Okam. "You did it Cleo! You got the next essence!" Midna exclaimed in amazement. "Perhaps you _are_ the one that will save all of the Twilight Realm. I guess the Skribal Sword is right in choosing you."

"I still can't believe you managed to pull it off! I thought the first one you gained was from dumb luck," Okam admitted. He couldn't contain his excitement. He went almost up to her face. "Have you done something like this before?"

"Uh, yeah." Cleo leaned back a bit.

Okam turned away, stroking his beard. "Interesting..." He went up to her face again. "Listen uh..." he turned away again. "I want to say... I'm sorry for doubting you..." One more time, he was in her face. "There! I said it. I'm sorry. So no hard feelings right?"

"Um, well no... I guess we got off on the wrong foot here."

"Wrong foot? Who's foot?" Jack asked.

Okam looked at him and his jaw dropped. "A lost spirit... talking to me? Where'd it come from?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to introduce you to my new friend. This is Jack, he's been helping me out."

Midna came closer to him. "This spirit seems fully aware. How is that possible?"

"It was the Moon Pearl that brought back his senses. But he still doesn't remember anything about his past except his name. I'm hoping all eight of the essences would help revive him completely."

"That is a pretty accurate theory, but getting the rest of the essences will not be as easy, I'm sure. Things will get harder from here," Okam warned. "If you'll follow me to the library, we can look up where we can get the next one."

* * *

The group were in a room with huge shelves upon shelves filled with scrolls. The tubes were not actually made of paper as Cleo thought they would be, they were black sticks that were split in half, lengthwise, then stretched out as sheets of pure transparent energy with glowing letters. Okam was using his telekinesis to look at each one. "Grr, where did I put that thing? No, no, no, NO!" He threw them in the air in frustration. "I swear, I can't keep track of these things!"

"Essences of Light, a Reference Guide," Midna read out the label on a tube.

Okam zipped over to her. "Where'd you find that?!"

"It was under 'E'."

"Ha ha, very funny princess!" Okam said in a snarky tone. He unrolled it. "Okay, the next essence is the Firefly Swarm and it's located on Bioluminisle. Now the next destination is very far across a dark ocean. You're going to need the Geozolas' help at the Lunai Bay, if you're to get anywhere."

"The what-zolas?" Cleo and Jack both asked.

"They are Twilight Zoras. One of the many races in this realm," answered Midna.

"I thought there were only Twilis that evolved from the Dark Interlopers," Cleo admitted.

"The Dark Interlopers weren't a race. They were a cult that practiced dark magic, a member from any race could join as long as they had the power and motivation."

"Wow, this realm must be bigger than I thought." Cleo had always believed that it was a small and isolated world. She'd never once thought about how elaborate it really was, how much alike it was to Hyrule.

"The warp needed to take you to Lunai Bay is right here in castle town." Okam closed the scroll. "I'll take you there, then you're on your own."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

Flowebb also belongs to me.

* * *

Chapter 6

Cleo resupplied at the market and left the palace with Okam leading her, Jack trailing behind. They went through the deeper alleys of the castle town, the place was like a maze. Twice Okam ran into a dead end, the second time he practically slammed into a wall. He punched it with a grunt and turned right around.

"You live here! Don't you know where you're going?" Cleo asked in mild confusion.

"I don't come down here that often. In fact, this is the first time I've been in this area."

"Exactly how long have you been a servant to Midna?"

"Vizier," he corrected. "And it's been a fortnight."

"_Really?_" Cleo raised an eyebrow. He suddenly stopped short and Cleo, who wasn't paying attention, almost fell off the edge of the floating island. Okam caught her and spun her about. "Thanks." They kept on going the other way. "So how did you become a Vizier?"

"The Twilight Princess found me on the side of a road. I was pretty weak and hungry, and she took me to her palace and cared for me. I was grateful to her and offered my wisdom to her as an adviser."

"Sorry, I didn't know you'd had a rough life."

"Well, don't be. In fact, things are looking up for me. Ah, here we are." They finally came to the warp. "I knew I'd find it sooner or later. Ladies first?" Okam offered.

"Thanks." Cleo stepped onto the warp platform and Jack joined her. The warp started automatically and Okam, who didn't have time to tell her anything, gave her the thumbs up with a grin before he and the alley vanished from sight.

* * *

The trail to Lunai Bay was along the coast. The sea was eerily still, no waves at all, and there was an unnatural black light glow from below the surface. The town they arrived at was pretty run down. The buildings, docks, and boats were old and decrepit. The people there were strange, while some of them looked just like the Zoras from Hyrule, except with glowing markings, there were Geozolas who looked a lot more like human angler fish.

They all looked gloomy and Cleo couldn't blame them. As she was passing by one of the buildings, she heard shouting from inside. She caught some words. "-was my grandpa's! I can't abandon it now! How am I suppose to keep this place running if you're going to turn your back?!"

A Twili burst through the drape covering the doorway. "You can't save it Flowebb!" The Twili shouted back. "No one will come here anymore, I've given up! You should find some other employment too while you have the chance!" He wandered off.

"I AM NOT GIVING UP THIS BAR!" A Geozola, with a beard that look like moss, ran up to the door. "Fine, go! Just go! See if I care!" he bellowed at the retreating back.

"I think we should keep moving, stay out of this..." Jack suggested.

Cleo was a little stunned by the crossfire of the argument she'd just overheard. "Right." But before she could move away, the guy named Flowebb spotted her and she stiffened, afraid he might shout at her too. But all the frustration he had displayed seemed washed away when he saw her. Never having seen a human before, he looked speechless. "Sorry sir, if I'm bothering you. I'm just passing though... I'll just go."

"Uh, oh no no, it's all right. _I_ am sorry, you having to hear all that." They both laughed a bit. "You're not from here are ya?"

"Well no... I don't suppose the bar's still open?"

"Of course! Come in come in." They all went inside and Flowebb lead Cleo to a table. She was given some food, a glowing Lunai Bass. Jack wished he could eat too, he seemed to crave fish. It was slightly cold but she ate every bit of it until it was bones. "You're the first customer I've had in awhile," said Flowebb. "Things are going downhill lately."

"What happened here Mr. Flowebb?"

"There is a famine here. Our catch is rapidly disappearing. I figure that something is eating them all up."

"Do you think it has something to do with the insect invasion?" Jack asked.

"The insect army hardly bothers us, mostly because we aren't worth the fuss, becoming so poor and all. However, they might be the reason _why_ we've become so poor."

"So if something is eating all your fish, if we destroy whatever's causing it, things will go back to normal, right?" Cleo concluded.

"Have you seen any evidence of this creature?" questioned Jack.

"There is one thing," answered Flowebb. "Ever since a strange new light appeared on Bioluminisle the fish have started disappearing."

"That's where we're going!" said Cleo. "We're trying to find an Essence of Light there."

Flowebb looked surprised. "Are you really? My grandpa told me of the legend about the essences, but no one was able to find any of them."

"It comes at a certain time of day from the Light Realm," said Jack.

"We'll go take care of the monster and grab the essence."

"You're going to fight it? But you're just a child, how will you... ...wait, is that-? Bless my soul! Is that the Skribal Sword?"

"This sword must be the Twilight Realm's Master Sword or something. People keep going on about it."

"Well even if you have the Skribal Sword, you still can't get anywhere without any fishing boats. They're all damaged."

"Oh, really?" Cleo moaned.

"So there is no way to get to the island?" asked Jack.

"Now, I didn't say that. There _is_ something you might be able to use for that sword of yours. If you'll just follow me to the cellar, I'll give it to you."

They went down through a trapdoor in the back room. The cellar was dark, lit only by Flowebb's antenna, so he stuck close to give Cleo some light. The place had stacks of crates filling around half of the space. Flowebb said the thing needed was hidden behind them. Cleo had to work her way around, pushing boxes and climbing over them. In one corner they found a chest. Inside was a rune.

"Where did you get this?" Cleo asked.

"My grandpa found it washed up on shore when he was your age. He knew it was for the Skribal Sword, so he kept it safe. This is called Flamel according to the runes."

"Well, let's see what this does." Cleo equipped the rune and touched it and the tip of the sword ignited.

"Oh, not _again!_" Flowebb moaned. "This is the fifth leak this month!" The floor of the cellar was slowly filling with water.

The sword suddenly started moving on its own. "Whoa!" She was almost dragged by it. This was not the first time it had done that, the sword did the same thing when she first used Anubis. It was guiding her to a large crack in one corner where the water was pouring in. "Alright, show me what to do." The Skribal Sword started smudging it's light all over the crack. She pulled it away and the light vanished. The water stopped and the crack vanished.

"Incredible!" Jack said in amazement.

"It's perfect," Cleo added. "This is just what we need."

Flowebb laughed. "Great Oni is on your side Cleo!" He slapped a webbed hand on her shoulder. "My bar, no, this _whole_ town will be back in it's heyday in no time!"

Cleo sheathed the sword. "I'll do a few more fix-ups here and then head to the island." She was true to her word. She wandered around town and used the Rune of Flamel to restore the buildings, docks, and boats until there was no sign of damage left. Then Flowebb offered to sail the two adventurers to Bioluminisle. The sea was a little spooky but also beautiful. The dark water was so clear that she could see the strange illuminated coral, jellyfish and other forms of life below her. After twenty minutes of sailing and listening to some of Flowebb's lyrics about kappas in the ocean, they hit shore.

They were on a small beach confronted by a thick mass of palm trees and bamboo. The only way in was a small opening. "If you ever need to resupply, I'll be waiting right here for ya. Good-luck!"

"Thank you Flowebb," Jack responded.

"We'll be back with the essence asap," said Cleo before entering the grounds of Bioluminisle.

"I did not know we are going to gather sap too," said Jack.

The island was so dense with plant life it was like they were inside a dungeon made of the forest. There were canyons and cliffs that made up the different levels with slopes for stairs, and there were fences with locked gates. Throughout her trip, she had to fight members of the insect army. There were dried river beds snaking across the ground. Gates, requiring two people to open, blocked the water. The Rune of Anubis's magic had upgraded so that Cleo's shadow double could move a little more independently by following a path drawn with the sword. She restored a bridge so her shadow could cross the deep gap and get to one slide lock, then Cleo herself grabbed the other. They both pulled the double slide locks until the water poured out and filled the river. A chest washed up on the river shore from which she got a key. Farther on, they found a damaged waterwheel. Restoring it caused it to turn again. The machine that was connected to a long abandoned lighthouse needed to be rewired so she had to follow the different colored wires to the proper plug-ins. After turning the lighthouse back on, its door opened and inside, she gained the Rune of Will-o-Wisp. The Skribal Sword now had the power to attract fireflies and use them as a lantern. In one area, there were standing torches in four separate rows of three, each of them were lit with a certain number of fireflies. The canyon below had torches in the same position but with a different amount of fireflies. Cleo figured she had to rearrange them to match the pattern above. She marked them down, then gathered and dropped them in the correct amounts. She was finally awarded the big key and went through the last gate.

Cleo and Jack came to a very large pond with a circle of floating rafts topped with torches. She hopped onto one just as Jack shouted "Cleo, be careful! There is something in the water!" At that moment, the raft lurched making her wobble. They saw something large, glowing and moving. Then, in a huge splash, a gigantic bloated fly burst out of the water, its wings buzzing loudly. After showing itself, it began to suck in all natural light in the area, including the torches, and became slightly bigger, the huge abdomen lighting up.

**Glutinous Shadow Insect:**  
**Beezlabulb**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

Meteroi also belongs to me.

* * *

Chapter 7

The monster tried to ram Cleo off the raft but she jumped out of the way. It slammed itself down on the raft, splintering it to pieces. Cleo hopped from raft to raft as it chased her and destroyed each one. She quickly rejuvenated the broken rafts and their torches so she wouldn't run out of platforms. Unable to see anything, she used the Will-o-Wisp to summon fireflies and light a torch. But Beezlabulb absorbed it quickly and shot a beam at her. She ducked in time. Jack pointed out that it had gotten even bigger after the absorption, giving Cleo an idea. She ran across the rafts and kept lighting the torches one by one and Beezlabulb kept eating the light. Then it got so big and heavy that its wings could no longer lift it and it fell into the water on its back, just floating there. Cleo hopped onto it and began stabbing the abdomen, then back onto the raft when the fly deflated and recovered. She had to repeat the process one more time before finishing it.

It thrashed around in pain before it sunk down into the water, then a huge bubble formed on the surface. With a big burst, something glowing rose from the bubble and floated over to her. It was an amber with engravings of flies. Cleo held it in her hand.

_She got the Firefly Swarm. The glow of inspiration lights the way towards rebirth!_

* * *

_... ...Father... may I ask you something?_

_Of course my son, what is it are you asking?_

_In the woods, I saw... ...a strange tree..._

_...A tree?_

_When I was near it... I could feel... a chill... It is as though I was gripped with fear..._

_... ..._

_Do you know something of it?_

_...Come with me... It is time I told you the tale of a great battle I once had a long time ago..._

* * *

They all rowed back to Lunai Bay with good news of the vanquished monster, carrying the essence as proof. Everyone celebrated at Flowebb's. "You did it, both of ya!" he cheered, clapping Cleo on the back. "With our problem gone, the fish will be coming back in a day or two!"

"It was nothing," Cleo said with a grin.

"You will always be welcomed in Lunai. Should you feel the need to relax, you're free to come and fish anytime."

"That sounds pleasant," said Jack.

"Well I might not have the time, but I'll try and help out with the tables tonight," Cleo offered.

"Can you wait tables?" Jack asked.

"How hard can it be?" Turned out it was much harder than she'd thought. Sure she was good at keeping track of people's orders, but the time management was difficult all by herself. She had to create her shadow to double the process, yet after a couple of hours, she was quite tired. But her exhaustion was the least of her problems when a certain someone came in.

"There ye are, lassie!" shouted a mechanical toned voice.

Cleo let out a squeak of surprise and turned toward the source. "Oh no!" It was Scervo. "Uh, you're not allowed in here!"

"Says who?"

"Well, you're a robot. I mean, you can't eat can you?"

"I'm not here for the grub, I'm here for yer Skribal Sword!"

Cleo groaned. "What's your beef anyway?"

"Uh, yes exactly!" agreed Jack. "What kind of beef could you possibly trade for the Skribal Sword." Scervo guffawed at him.

Cleo face palmed. "That's not what I meant!"

"Yer spirit mate be a fool!"

"Listen, first off, Jack isn't a fool, and second, I don't want any more trouble from you!"

"Trouble always comes!" He pulled out his electric sword and sliced a table standing between them in half.

"This man is delusional!" exclaimed Jack.

The people started running out the door in a panic as Scervo marched toward Cleo. Flowebb ran forward and stood in his way. "Cleo, go to the back door!" Then he turned back to Scervo. "Please, I must ask you to lea-AAAAAAAHHH!" The robot had grabbed him and, with amazing strength, tossed him over the counter, shattering several bottles.

"Flowebb!" Cleo didn't have time to aid him. She and Jack ran as fast as they could while she pushed tables over to block Scervo's prowl. They raced around into the kitchen and through the door leading outside, grabbing a tablecloth to hide themselves under on the way out and went into the crowd. The pirate came out shortly afterwards and started raging when he realized he had lost her. "That was close." She walked slowly so as to not draw attention. "I hope Flowebb is okay."

"I am sure he will be fine. He is pretty tough, I can tell."

"Let's get back to Midna and Okam."

* * *

They arrived back at the Palace of Twilight where Midna awaited them at the front door. "There you two are. I was beginning to worry for you."

"Yeah sorry about that. I was busy with a little side task," Cleo admitted.

"Well I'm glad to know that you're helping people out. But don't let yourself get distracted by these little things. Just keep your focus on the major task at hand. Remember, by gathering all of the Essences of Light, will you be able to help everyone."

"Thank you for this advice Princess Midna," Jack responded cordially. "We will keep these words of wisdom in mind."

Midna smiled at him. "My, your friend is quite polite isn't he," she commended.

"Where's Okam?" Cleo asked.

"He's in the library, studying. Let's go and meet him."

* * *

Okam was pouring over a scroll when they came in. He looked over his shoulder, closed the scroll and turned to them. "Ah, I see you're back. Did you get the essence?" Cleo walked forward and showed him the Firefly Swarm. "Excellent! For a kid, you're doing pretty well."

"Thanks. Although, one of those giant insects had already gotten it before I could reach it, so I had to take the essence from it."

"Veran's army is undoubtedly determined to claim the essences," Midna stated with concern. "Of course it's nearly impossible to even know where to look for them when they appear only briefly every hour of twilight. Sometimes I wonder how Veran knows where they are?"

"The scroll, maybe?" Cleo guessed. "I mean, is there a copy of it?"

"Impossible, there's only one in existence," Okam claimed.

"Are you sure? Then how did Veran know?" Jack asked.

Okam shrugged. "Beats the heck outta me." Cleo was silent for a moment. "Something on your mind, Cleo?"

"...No, nothing."

"Well anyway. I know where the next one is. It is called the Star Formation, found in the Nebula Observatory. It's been long abandoned and also cut off thanks to a damaged bridge. I already sent workers there to repair it. There's a tunnel through the mountains that will lead you to the observatory, otherwise you would have to take a hike over them and that can take months."

"Well, thank you Okam. We shall take that path," said Jack.

"I'll escort you to the next warp."

* * *

The pair appeared at a large quarry dug deep in the base of the mountains. They went over to the edge and looked down. They could already see giant bugs there. "Perhaps they are looking for the next essence," Jack suggested.

Cleo took a closer look, she could see them gathering gems. "That, and collecting resources."

"There are people here!" Jack exclaimed in surprise. Cleo looked around until she could see a Twili-looking Goron chained in energy shackles. One of the bugs shoved him. There were other ones too, digging into the rock and carrying the gems to the cart which were then dragged away by rino-beetles.

"I wonder where the carpenters are? I hope they weren't captured. We'd never be able to cross that bridge."

"If they have, the enemy will never cross that bridge either. I am sure that when it is complete, they will swarm into the observatory."

"Oh, not cool!"

"The temperature has nothing to do with it."

Cleo rolled her eyes. "Let's just find a way into the tunnel."

They snuck their way down into the quarry, ducking low on the small cliffs so as not to be seen. Then they darted from cart to cart, trying to spot the tunnel entrance. "There it is," she whispered. It was guarded by two rino-beetles. "Now how to get past them."

"Move it, you worthless lump of rock!" Cleo turned around and could see the first Twili-Goron she'd seen previously being shoved roughly again.

"I'm moving as fast as I can!" he complained. He looked weak and exhausted, no doubt he'd been working non-stop for hours. He tried to get up, but was shoved again.

"Move faster then!"

"How can I work when you keep knocking me to the ground!"

"How dare you talk back to me!" The beetle then started beating him as he curled up to defend himself. "I'll teach _you_ some respect!"

Cleo glared at the scene. Her hands were clawing the ground so hard her fingers started stinging, yet she hardly noticed. Her teeth were clenched and bared in a growl. "Cleo, I know this is upsetting, but you must not-" Cleo shot up from her crouch and charged in a scream of rage. Jack grunted. "_Perfect!_"

She jumped up on top of the beetle's back and stabbed down into a weak point she was able to spot. The insect fell over with its legs twitching, electricity sparkling. The Twili-Goron looked up at her standing before him, breathing hard. "Serves him right!"

"Cleo, we must go now!" Jack called out urgently. She looked around her and saw the rino-beetles swarming after witnessing one of their own killed. "Hurry!"

Cleo turned to the rock man and cut the energy cuffs with her sword. "C'mon!" He didn't hesitate in obeying and rolled alongside her to the nearest cart. They all hopped in, he pulled the brake lever to loosen the wheels and they began rolling into the tunnel (they hit and killed one of the beetle guards on the way). She felt the whoosh of cold air as the cart sped up, glowing crystals rushed past. "What's your name, sir?"

"I'm Meteroi, of the Mortrams. Thank you for earlier."

"My name's Cleo and this is Jack. We need to get to the Nebula Observatory."

"Whatever for? I thought it was shut down." Cleo explained about the Essences of Light and the Skribal Sword. "I see... Well in that case I'd better give this to you." He reached into a pouch at his hip and pulled out a rune. "I found this in the quarry." The symbol read "Mars".

They heard the increasing sound of scuttling and looked behind them. They could see the army finally catching up, crawling fast on six legs.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 8

"We need to lose them!" Cleo exclaimed.

"Light the crystal torches to change tracks!" Cleo activated the Will-o-Wisp and did as Meteroi suggested. She tried to outmaneuver them by choosing random paths, the entire swarm were splintering apart as they were forced to guess which way the escapees went and only around fifteen out of a hundred or so was lucky enough to stay on their tail.

"Okay, let's see what this does." Cleo used the Rune of Mars and the sword began drawing an upside down Q. The image landed on the wall of the tunnel and a spark started eating away the line in the Q. One of the beetles crawled over the image when the line disappeared completely... KABOOM! The beetle was now in flaming pieces. Cleo started drawing the images on different spots where the insects might crawl and destroyed them one by one. Suddenly the whole cave started crumbling apart. Rocks and boulders were raining down. "Oooh! Maybe I shouldn't have done that!"

"Cleo, the tunnel cannot hold up!" Jack shouted.

"What do we do?!" Cleo asked Meteroi.

"At the rate it's going, we have about three minutes until the whole place collapses! There's a path we can take that can get us out, you just have to follow my instructions!" She nodded and used Will-o-Wisp again. She had to light certain crystals and ignore others so they wouldn't end up at a dead end. One or two boulders nearly hit them as they raced to the exit. Just as the entire cave was about to close up on them, they finally saw light at the end of the tunnel and thought they were home free... ...except there were no more tracks. Worse still, the exit lead right out into open air. "WHA-?!" Meteroi started in a panic. He pulled the brake and the cart slowed to a screeching halt just before the very edge where the rest of the suspended tracks fell away.

Cleo looked behind her and saw that the cave was now completely blocked by boulders. "Now _what?!_" she shouted, her voice echoing across the wide ravine.

"I don't understand, what happened to the tracks?!" Before Meteroi could say another word, there was an ominous creeeek.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." And Jack was right. The cart started sagging and they realized that the end of the tracks were too weak to hold the combined weight of the cart, the Mortram, and the eleven-year-old. They scrambled out just as the end snapped off with the cart and debris falling down the ravine. After hopping out, Cleo stumbled and slipped. She shrieked and grabbed the metal rail. "Cleo!" Jack was unable to help her. "Cleo, hold on!"

Meteroi leaned over and tried to grab her. But it was too late, Cleo lost her grip and she fell down... down... down... ...All was silent...

* * *

_She was standing in infinite whiteness, looking around. There was nothing, a nothingness that stretched on forever... everything was empty... and she was alone... She called out to someone, there was no answer... and the loneliness hit her like a fever... she was alone... The only thing accompanying her was her own shadow. But then the shadow moved... it grew... it changed shape... becoming monstrous... She tried to move but realized she was frozen... she couldn't defend herself... Then it towered over her and there was a demonic cackle... ...it pounced on her... ... ...Everything went black..._

There was a blur of color forming... sharpening into vision. Cleo had opened her eyes and was now staring at the twilit sky and something floating over her. A spirit. "Cleo, thank goodness you are alive!" It was Jack.

"...Am I alive?" She just noticed that she was on the ground and tried to get up. She felt sore all over. "How did I survive that?"

"I do not know. But Cleo, the Skribal Sword is gone!"

"WHAT?!" Cleo reached behind to feel for her sword, but it wasn't there. She started to panic, where did it go? "Did it fall out?" She looked around for it. "Jack, help me find it!" She rolled over onto all fours and started crawling around. "C'mon sword! Where are you?!"

"Look, there are tracks. Someone was here." Cleo looked at those tracks and crawled to them. Upon a closer look she could see something unusual about them. They were not naturally shaped like any living creature's, they were geometric like they belonged to a machine. And she knew one machine.

"...Scervo."

"We have to get it back... um, 'a sap'?"

"Well let's hurry. He can't have gone far." Cleo got up and raced toward the thieving pirate. Jack discovered he was good at tracking and was able to spot the prints hidden in the rougher surface of the ground. They went up a slope that lead them back up the mountain. After climbing a few stories, they finally caught up with him. Scervo was standing on the edge of a cliff looking out to a tall, tall tower in the far distance. "Scervo!"

He turned around to face her. "Eh? So ye recovered fast, have ya?"

"Give me my sword back!"

"Who are ya ter make demands? It be Cleo, aye?"

"Yeah, that's right! I'm the rightful owner, you have _no right_ to take it!"

"And what can ye do about that, pray tell? Ye cannot fight without it."

"_It's. Not. YOURS!_" Cleo bellowed.

"And how would ye know? What gives ya the gall to decide who the sword master is? Ye be nothing but an arrogant child who thinks herself important, who thinks she can do anything without mind of the consequences!"

"That's not true! I'm nothing like that!" But the moment she said it, Cleo began to realize something. She thought back to her own dangerous actions and how she felt proud at what she could do. Suddenly, she no longer felt sure about herself. The look of dawning comprehension showed on her face to Scervo as he gave a smug grin.

"Ye see now, lass?" Scervo withdrew it. "I'll show ya exactly who is the true fighter!" And he charged at her. She had no time to block, he was about to strike when Jack suddenly stood between her and Scervo. There was was flash and Cleo thought she saw a man with a sword of his own standing before her, only for a split second, not long enough to form a clear image in her mind. Scervo jumped back and stared at the floating spirit. "What is this?!"

"Jack, how did you do that?"

"Scervo, although it is true that she has a lot to learn, compared to a man with no honor, Cleo is the true warrior!"

"...Jack..."

"She is but a child!" Scervo countered.

"Yes she is, a child who is full of promise."

Cleo smiled and stepped forward in confidence. "Turns out I don't need a weapon to be great, all I need is a friend."

As Scervo tried to fathom the meaning of their words, the Skribal Sword started glowing and moving on it's own. He tried to keep a firm grip, "NO!" but it yanked itself out of his grasp and returned to its true owner. He was seething. "Don't be thinking that it's over... I will find a way ter claim that sword, mark me words." Then he ran off.

"He is never going to give up, is he?" Jack contemplated.

"Cleo!" a voice called out. She turned around and saw Meteroi running to her. "Oh, thank Oni! You're alive! How did you survive the fall?"

Cleo hadn't put much thought into that, she was so busy worrying about her sword. She looked in the direction where Scervo had gone and wondered.

* * *

Meteroi led Cleo and Jack to the bridge where the Twili carpenters were reforming the dark slab bridge with their magic. One of them saw Cleo and walked over to her. "I just received word that a stranger from another realm is coming here. Are you her?" Cleo answered affirmatively. "Okam sent us here to fix this bridge and said he'd pay us later. You got the money, right?"

"Uh, what?" Cleo didn't expect this. "How much are you owed?"

"9200 rupees."

"Are you serious?! All I have is 200!"

"Then you're going to be in debt for awhile. You'd best pay up."

"Okay, fine!" Cleo gave him all her rupees. "Thanks _a lot,_ Okam..."

"Don't worry about it too much. You're an adventurer aren't you? I'm sure you'll be out of debt soon if you're collecting treasures."

"Cleo, the army is approaching!" Jack exclaimed. Sure enough, they could see the insects heading their way. "We need to hurry inside!"

"Take cover you guys!" Cleo commanded the workers and Meteroi.

"Cleo, good luck!" Meteroi shouted back.

They ran up the stairs into the Nebula Observatory. Both outside and in, the whole building was worn down, boarded up, and thick with dust from ages without activity. The first doorway was blocked by wood that was too hard for her sword so she used the Rune of Mars to get rid of it. Further in, they found a robot, a little one with a strange head piece, miss-matched eyes, and large hands separate from the body. It was long dead and Cleo couldn't restore it with Flamel, it didn't seem to work on age. There was a clustered boulder she used Mars on and blowing it up both revealed and activated a blue crystal that had been growing from out of the floor. The whole room was reverted back to it's prime condition as though time had never passed and the robot was revived. It thanked her and gave her a small key to the next door. Throughout the journey, she found time shift stones that restored parts of the observatory and fought the insects as they barged in. She looked though a telescope and saw a constellation. Then she found a control panel with tangled white lines on a black screen. She untangled the lines into a simmetrical formation, revealing a chest containing the Rune of Sagittarius. Then in a domed room painted with stars connected like a constellation she noticed some gaps. She recreated the constellation using the new rune which turned the sword into a bow. After shooting arrows of light to complete the charted sky, she was rewarded the big key. She and Jack went to the top floor to unlock the last door and entered.

It was a tall cone shaped room with equally tall stained glass windows. They looked at the images with curiosity, the windows contain familiar faces, Oni the first King of Twilight, a divine beast, and then the eight Essences of Light surrounding the Skribal Sword held aloft by a faceless figure.

"Going on a tour, Cleo?" She spun around, thinking for a second that Midna had come. How greatly she was mistaken. That familiar voice was coming from someone else and she was shocked by who it really was... Veran.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 9

"So... you must be Veran," Jack guessed.

"Indeed my dear Jack," the Twili sorceress said with a soft laugh. "Well Cleo, still running errands for my pathetic excuse of a sister?"

"So you two really _are_ sisters! So what happened? Was it some kind of sibling rivalry?"

"You jest! It was nothing of the sort... I was banished from the Palace of Twilight for using the forbidden magic of the Dark Interlopers. I was fascinated by the old magic, you see, and experimented with it in my fascination. But my lust for more power caused the people to fear me for what I can do. Midna began to see me as a threat and the moment she became the Twilight Princess, did she banish _me!_ Her _own_ twin!"

"I'll bet you experimented on those innocent people against their will, like some abused guinea pigs!" Cleo countered in disgust.

"What of it. They served their purpose for a greater cause!"

"And what about the Essences of Light? How is it that you are learning of their whereabouts?" Jack asked.

Veran chuckled. "I have my sources... and they also told me that _you_ Jack are to be removed."

"What?! Why?" asked Cleo in surprise.

"Because without him, you're nothing. In fact, his death will be _your_ doing!" Before Cleo could realize what Veran meant, the sorceress swooped down on her. She became vapor and started engulfing the child. Cleo struggled to get it off her, but it seeped into her skin and she became still. Then Cleo lifted her head and let out a cruel laugh, her eyes filled with malice. "This body is so young and refreshing! Now her life is mine to control!"

"NO!" Jack shouted in fear and anger. "Let her go!"

"You won't have to worry about her once you're dead." She lifted the Skribal Sword to strike down the spirit when she suddenly stiffened. "What?!" She tried to swing down but her arm seemed frozen. "Why can't I move?... _Get out_... What?!... _I said get out!... _NO! Impossible!..." She fell onto her hands and knees. "You're not taking me! GET! THE HELL! OUT! NOW!" She let out a mighty scream. The dark smoke issued from her body and Veran reappeared before her.

The sorceress was panting hard from an apparent struggle. "...How?!"

"I'm not as weak as you think..." Cleo got up. "I was possessed once and I'm not going through that again!"

"Curse you! If you don't succumb to the darkness, then you will be destroyed by it." Veran lifted her arms and an electrical energy shot up into the air, creating a warp hole. A giant combusting moth appeared from it, then Veran dissolved away into the warp and it vanished. Cleo got her sword ready.

**Cosmic Moth:**  
**Actias Nova**

It circled above her head and then nose-dived. The heat from its harshly illuminated form was hot enough to burn the skin and Cleo had to roll out of the way. She tried Sagittarius to shoot it, but didn't hurt it one bit. Jack noticed a blue crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and told her to aim for that. She shot it and the room went back in time. The time shift field also effected Actias Nova, reverting it back to a molten rock imitating larva. Cleo ran in to slash away at it. It defended itself by growing spines and shooting them at her, Cleo blocked them with her shield. While she was guarded, the worm shot another spine at the crystal and the room changed back. It laid eggs and the babies hatched out to attack her. Killing them off and dodging the flaming moth, she turned back time and attacked the monster again. She repeated the whole process one more time before it was finished.

The worm thrashed about in pain and then crumbled apart, its ember glow went out as smoke billowed from the body. Then a new glow appeared from within the time shift stone and it shattered. White round cut diamonds connected by silver chains floated down to her hands.

_She got the Star Formation. The lights draw a map for the lost and traces their image!_

* * *

_...Mother!... ...our home... it is... gone... everything is gone!_

_Please be brave my son... we have escaped._

_But father... he is... taken from us._

_Do not fear for him, remember your destiny._

_No mother, please!... Do not leave me!_

_One day... you will return here... and take back what is ours... I will wait for you... ...be strong..._

_... ...Mother..._

_Goodbye for now... my little boy..._

* * *

Cleo and Jack walked out of the observatory and across the bridge. She gave a time shift stone shard, as big as her hand, to the carpenter ("This should cover it") as they passed. Meteroi gave them a ride on another cart back to the quarry. "Why were the beetles mining the gems?" she asked him.

"Because gems possess magical qualities, they give power to a wielder with supernatural abilities. The army seeks them out here in the Tempis Mine for Veran."

"So she's getting stronger..." Cleo concluded.

"Yes, she _was._ But you put a stop to that."

"Really, how?"

"By flattening the whole lot with that cave in. I know that wasn't your intention, but you just saved all the Mortrams from this enslavement, thanks to your dumb luck."

"Yeah..." Cleo felt a little embarrassed by that. They almost got killed by her reckless moves. "I just hope they never come back." They stopped at the now empty quarry. "Take care of yourself, now."

"Will do and thank you again." Meteroi reversed back into the cave while Cleo and Jack went back to the warp.

* * *

The moment they returned to the Palace of Twilight, Cleo went up to the roof to think. "Jack, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you that one time, when you warned me not to blindly charge into danger."

"Please, there is no need to apologize. You were merely acting out of compassion. You did the right thing in saving Meteroi."

"Do you really think I'm honorable? Cause... well, I know I've been acting like an idiot."

"We all act foolish sometimes. There is no shame." Cleo smiled at his comment.

"He's right you know," said a voice behind them. She turned to see Midna. The tall Twilight Princess stood radiant out in the half-light, then she walked over to them and was now in imp form. "You know I can't help but worry about you every time you leave to find the essences. I know I'm not your mother... but every time you're gone, I start to wonder when and if you will return safely. The thing is... you're risking your life to save my realm, and I could've stopped you out of concern for your safety, but I haven't. And sometimes I wonder if I have made the right decision in letting you do this."

"Midna, you don't have to pin this on yourself, this whole thing was _my_ decision. If something were to happen to me, it wouldn't be your fault."

"What about your family, your brother Finn. He's no doubt out there somewhere looking for you, worried sick."

"...I can't contact him, so he can't know what's going on. I don't like to leave him hanging like that, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm sure, if he knew what I was trying to do, he'd understand."

"Well then, let say we go to the library to ask Okam of the next essence," Jack suggested. "The sooner we finish this quest, the sooner we can go... home..." Suddenly, there was an alarming flash and he grunted in pain. The spirit fell to the ground and started to dim.

"JACK!"

* * *

Two Hylian guards stood watch by the main castle doorway as someone rushed toward them. It was a teenager. They crossed spears to block him. "Hey, is Zelda home?" He sounded out of breath.

"What's it to you?" one of the guards asked.

"I need to talk to her, it's an emergency!"

"What's your big excuse for trying to barge in?"

"It's my sister, she's been taken by a huge shadow. I think she's in the Twilight Realm."

"Twilight... Realm?" They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"This isn't funny you guys!"

"Look," the guard said between barks of laughter. "Don't you have better things to do than play practical jokes?"

"What part of 'my sister is kidnapped' do you not understand?! You know what, screw this!" The kid tried to get past them, but they knocked him down and each grabbed him by an arm.

"I think you've had enough of Chateau Romani for one day." Then they escorted him (or rather half-dragged him) to the fountain.

"You don't understand! My sister, Zelda, I need help!" They threw him into the water with a splash.

"There, that outta clear your head. Now why don't you go home and sleep it off." Then they went back to their post, still laughing.

* * *

Telma was wiping a glass when Finn barged in. She looked up. "Well hello there hon, what can I-" But Finn walked right passed her without a word and started to climb up onto one of the tables and onto the high shelves. "Can't get past the guards, I take it?"

"Shut up." Finn was almost dangling from the shelf. A pot fell over and smashed onto the floor in his haste to get to the secret passage.

"Want me to fix ya something when you get back, Finn?"

"Yeah, would ya? I'll need the strength." Finn managed to crawl into the hole.

"Blue Chu Fizz it is then..."

*Cue Pink Panther Theme*

Finn came out the other side into the underground waterways and walked up the stairs to a trap-door. It opened up to a courtyard garden and he snuck his way past the guards, climbing over walls and up vines to the roofs. He stumbled once or twice and nearly fell off. He was approaching a window that would lead to the stairway which would lead to Zelda's room when he suddenly sank through a weak part of the roof and crashed into the hallway. He quickly hid behind a tapestry before a guard showed up to check out what was going on. Finn snuck up and knocked him out, then placed a piece of debris on his head so it would look like an accident. After he traveled down the hall into the kitchen, he heard someone ahead coming his way. He hid in the large dumbwaiter (it was a tight fit) and pulled himself up.

He finally reached Zelda's room, but she didn't seem to be there. He tried to get out and quickly realized that he was stuck. "Oh, great!"

*End Theme*

The door handle turned and in came Princess Zelda. She glanced at Finn and jumped with a gasp.

"Hey princess, I need your help... But first, can you help me?"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

Defross and Glacia also belong to me.

* * *

Chapter 10

"Hold still, you're quite bruised up." Zelda was tending to those bruises Finn had gotten from the fall.

"You're the landlady, you should consider firing your two doormen," he grumbled.

"I'm very sorry about that." She applied another dab of medicine to him. Finn flinched. "You must have a reason for coming here. What happen this time and where is your sister, Cleo?"

"That's the thing, I don't know. I can only guess that she's in the Twilight Realm."

Zelda was about to add another dose but then stopped. "How did this happen?" Finn told her all about the treasure hunt for the Moon Pearl with Syrilla and how it ended in disaster. "If what you say _is_ true, then your guess was correct. She _is_ in the Twilight Realm, however I don't believe she has fallen into darkness completely."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if she still has the Moon Pearl, one of the Essences of Light, then she hasn't turned into a lost spirit."

"Essences of what?"

"There's a legend around them, Midna once told me about them." Then Zelda told Finn the tale of their purpose for the Twilight Realm and how they always disappear into twilight every dusk and dawn.

"So that's why she vanished, talk about bad timing! So how come she hasn't tried to come back if she's not a lost spirit? I'm sure she would've contacted me with our cellphones if she had."

"I don't know. There must be some reason why she hasn't returned yet."

"It better be a good reason, otherwise I'll kill her! So what am I suppose to do now? I can't just sit here and wait, I need to get to her. But how can I enter the Twilight Realm without becoming a lost spirit?"

"I think there is a way... maybe..."

Finn looked anxious. "What is it?"

"Give me your hand." Finn was unsure about her suggestion but did as told. Zelda held it in her left hand and placed her right over it. He could see the Triforce of Wisdom illuminated on the back of her right hand and it began to glow, brighter and brighter. He suddenly felt a calming sensation, a feeling of warmth, as if drenched in liquid made of sunlight, seeping through his body from where she held his hand. Then the Triforce disappeared from her hand. She finally let go and smiled. "I always knew that wisdom was your greatest virtue." Finn stared at his own hand, speechless and wide-eyed. The Triforce of Wisdom was now in his possession.

* * *

Cleo was sitting stiffly, one of her legs jiggling. Midna approached her and Cleo got up quickly. "How is he?" she asked with anxiety.

"I did the best I could with my magic. He'll need time to recover. Maybe you should keep your mind off this by finding the next essence."

Cleo hung her head. "I can't do it without him. He has been a great help... he knows things, he knows how to fight and has been guiding me."

"You and Jack have become close, I can tell. While I was trying to heal him, I heard him talking softly to himself. I think he was dreaming."

"What did he say?"

"He said, 'I must return home... save my homeland... I must defeat...'"

"Defeat... what? Who?"

Midna shook her head. "I'm afraid that's all he said. One thing's for sure, his memories are slowly returning."

"Good news! I know where the next essence is." Okam had walked in, looking rather cheerful but then looked at the two. "Hey, what's with the glum looks?"

"Jack is sick," Cleo answered shortly.

"Oh uh, I'm sorry." But by his tone, he didn't sound sorry and Cleo felt another pang of annoyance from him. "Well anyway, the next one is called the Aurora Stream and it is located on the top of Prisms Peak. It's near Snyor Village, so you'll have to take the most southern warp in Castle Town. I'll escort you there right now."

"Uh, _hello!_ I can't leave without Jack."

"Oh right, I forgot. He's your handicap."

"Are you trying to get on my bad side _again?_"

Okam jumped at her outburst. "Okay! I take back the handicap," he said quickly, looking a bit sheepish.

"Cleo?" They all turned and realized that Jack had awoken. "Are we ready to go?"

"Jack, are you sure you're well enough to travel?" Cleo asked with concern.

"Yes, I am sure. Do not worry, I am fine now."

Cleo smiled. "Alright, lets split."

"Split? Split what?" Jack asked. Cleo couldn't help but laugh. He had definitely recovered.

* * *

Cleo appeared in an arctic field with Jack and quickly realized that she had forgot to bundle up. But she couldn't turn back now, it would waste too much time. They trudged through the snow as she shivered. To her envy, Jack didn't seem bothered by the cold. They came to a high walled fortress and a guard let them in after she stated her important business and showed the Skribal Sword. The town within was made of stone and ice and the inhabitants had rounded heads and bodies, almost flat arms, legless feet, beaks on their faces and glowing tufts of feathers on their heads.

As the pair looked around, trying to find a lead, there was a loud cry. "STOP, THIEF!" Cleo saw a Twili running with a bag over his shoulder and one of the Snyor villagers was chasing him. She ran in front of the thief and swiped her sword at him. He dropped the bag in surprise and ran off. Cleo picked up the bag when the victim waddled to her, panting. "Thank you so much for helping me. I knew I would never get it back on my own without help..." He did a double take at her. "Wait, I've never seen anything or anyone like you before! Where are you from?"

"Uh, I'm from Earth."

"I've never heard of that place... huh!"

"Sir, your bag?" Cleo held it out.

"Oh yes! Again thank you! A thousand thank yous! No amount of gratitude will ever repay-"

"Whoa, all that is not necessary!" Cleo exclaimed, blushing in awkwardness.

"Oh but it is. You see, this bag contains a music box."

"Okay... I take it it's valuable?"

"What's this? You mean you don't know what it's for?" Cleo shook her head. "The music box is meant to unite two lovers into a happy life together. As the music plays, the pair would take each others hand and dance to the music. If both accept this dance, then once the music ends, they will be husband and wife."

"So the box is for a wedding ceremony," said Jack.

"Of course, it's the custom of the Snyor Village."

"That sounds beautiful. Are you engaged?" Cleo asked.

"Indeed, to Glacia."

"Well then, congratulations Mr..."

"Defross."

"Can I watch the wedding?"

"Of course you can, it'll take place at the town square later today."

Suddenly, there was a loud bell ringing in one of the wall towers. The people started to run and scream. "What is happening?" Jack asked urgently.

"It's the insect army! They're trying to get into the fortress again!" Defross shouted over the cries of panic.

"Take cover Defross! Maybe I can do something about that." After he left, Cleo and Jack ran to the wall and climbed up the ladder. Reaching the walkway, they could now see the army heading this way.

The guards readied their mounted crossbows and started firing away. To Cleo's utter surprise, guns had appeared on the backs of the beetles that shot lasers. "What sorcery is this?!" Jack blurted, dubiously. The lasers managed to hit several archers at once, Cleo ducked to avoid the shots.

"I've never seen anything like _that_ before! Where the hell did they get such weapons?"

"I do not know, but we have lost half the guards already. There will not be enough to stop the army from getting in."

Cleo equipped Sagittarius and joined in the shooting. She fired at the laser guns first before aiming for the beetles themselves, all while dodging enemy fire. Hitting them was difficult because of the wind and she was thankful that she played Wii Sports archery a lot. She was at it for ten minutes and had shot over fifty beetles. But now they were about to reach the wall.

"Madam! Madam!" Cleo looked down behind her. Defross had returned and climbed up the ladder to her. "I was told that you carry the Skribal Sword. So I came as soon as I could to give you something. Here, take it." He placed, in her palm, a rune that read Salamander. "I hope this will help."

Cleo smiled. "Thank you!" Defross went back down the ladder. "Let's try this out." Once the rune was activated, the blade temporarally ignited with a fiery aura. Seeing a sample of its power, she ran to the nearest snow pile outside the wall. She leaped down and ran toward the army, taunting them. They surrounded her, that was perfect. She quickly reactivated Salamander and held the sword ready. They were closing in, the blade glowed in a growing inferno. When they were close enough, she spun as hard and fast as she could, a ring of fire blazed out like an explosion, taking them all out.

Cleo panted, feeling dizzy and quite hot for a moment before the cold set in again. She had taken out the last of them. Jack caught up with her. "That was incredible, I commend you for your courage and wit. That battle... I think I went through something like this before."

"Are you saying you're starting to remember?"

"Only fragments... All random... I still do not know who I am..."

"Let's get back inside. I'm cold."

There was no cheering or anything close to a celebration of victory. Instead, there were casualties, mourning. Some of the guards lying on the ground, motionless, were being picked up and carried away silently. The ones who were still alive were wounded and medical assistance rushed to aid them. It was a painful sight and Cleo felt like she was going to throw up. They quickly left the dreadful scene only to run into another one.

There was a cry of despair from inside one of the buildings. Feeling worried, Cleo opened the door and went inside to see what was the matter.

Defross was on the floor in tears, a woman was sneering down at him in malevolent disgust. "You heard me plain and clear. I will never dance with the likes of you! I don't want to see your hideous face again!"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 11

Cleo couldn't believe what she was overhearing. That couldn't be Glacia, surely. What had just happened that would cause her to turn her back on her own fiance so suddenly?

"But dearest!" Defross sobbed. "What about all the times we spent together? What have I done for you to hate me so?!"

Glacia let out a cruel laugh. There was something familiar about it to Cleo. "You stupid fool. I only _pretended_ to love you. You're really nothing to me. _Nothing!_"

Cleo had heard enough. "How _DARE_ YOU!" she spat, marching forward. "Just who do you think you are, taking advantage of poor Defross?!"

Glacia looked at her and gave an equally familiar wicked smirk. "Well it was fun."

Cleo's hands clenched into tight fists, shaking in rage. "It was sick! You have no right to treat him like this!"

"Cleo, calm yourself," Jack whispered. "I sense some kind of deception."

At that, she suddenly realized the truth, why Glacia was acting this way. Cleo drew her sword. "I know it's you Veran! You let Glacia go or-"

"Or what, you'll attack little ol' me? Surely you realize that if you harm me, you'll harm the blushing bride to be."

"Her name is not Shirley!" Jack corrected.

"What are your demands?" Cleo asked in a low growl.

"Nothing. There is no demand nor will there be any negotiation. Face it, there's nothing you can do to stop me. Now if you will excuse me, I have an essence to collect." The Veran possessed Glacia began walking past Cleo when Defross got up and grabbed her arm.

"Glacia, please tell me it's you! Please, snap out of it!"

"You're _never_ to see her again!" she knocked him to the floor and then left.

"We can't let her reach it!" Cleo declared.

"We will have to try and beat her to it," Jack agreed.

They were about to walk out the door when Defross spoke up. "Wait..." he wiped away his tears. "It really isn't Glacia, is it?"

"It is... but she's not herself. Veran is controlling her."

"Please, can't you save her?"

Cleo gave him a brave smile. "Of course I can. Don't worry, I'll bring her back." Then she and Jack left the house.

"Can you... really?" Jack questioned.

"I don't know. But what else can I say to him."

"...I understand."

* * *

They raced to the base of Prisms Peak. The moment they approached, a blizzard came out of nowhere. They tried to push themselves forward but were blown back. There seemed to be some mysterious force preventing them from climbing. Jack pointed out a trail of glowing trees, widely spaced out, leading up the mountain. Cleo trudged back up the base and clung onto the nearest tree (Jack apparently clung onto Cleo). As soon as the wind died down a bit, she hurried to the next tree before it picked up again. After the tedious climb, they reached a cave.

Upon entering the icy interior of the mountain, the first obstacle they came across were giant falling icicles. Dodging them was very difficult on the slippery ice and she had too many close calls. Then she got trapped by a ring of icicles that were too hard to destroy with a regular sword swing. She used the Salamander spin to break them. They soon encountered ice insects she had to fight throughout. At first, the place looked like any other ice cave, but further in, they found out why it was called Prisms Peak: The ice all around them was in many different colors of the rainbow and each of the torches were also a different color. Some paths were blocked by various colored ice, and they couldn't get through. They came across a sliding block puzzle with three different blocks and buttons, and a few immovable rocks. Cleo pushed the blocks around, trying to get them to land on their appropriate colored buttons. After some trial and error, she got a key to unlock the next room and then gained a new rune. The Rune of Iris gave her the ability to throw her sword like a boomerang and absorb whatever color it hit (from the torches). She learned that the colored ice melted from the fire of the opposite color (such as red ice melts in blue fire). After removing enough ice to progress forward, she faced one last puzzle with six crystals that flashed individually in a certain order. After watching and memorizing carefully, she hit them in the correct order, and each set got longer and longer. After messing up a few times, she finally got it and gained the big key. She unlocked the last doorway and was outside again.

It was colder than before and the harsh wind was biting her face. They found themselves in a deep wide hollow surrounded by ice spires and a few torches. They seemed to be at the top of the peak. As Cleo walked across the snow, she felt a tremor underneath her feet. The ground started giving way and she jumped back as a hole formed. There were myriad sounds of hard tapping on ice and a sudden burst of snow shot out along with a snake-like body attached to an eyeless, pincered head. It made a hideous trilling noise as orbs on its exoskeleton flashed in different colors.

**Arctic Chromatic Centipede:**  
**Reinorbaz**

Cleo started backing up and jumped out of the way before it dived at her. The monster burrowed into the ground again. Jack made a quick note that it relied on vibrations to target its victims. Cleo ran around in hopes of coaxing it out. It popped out and dive bombed her again then got stuck. But Cleo's swings couldn't damage it. The orbs must be emitting a shield. Cleo quickly looked at the different torches and used Iris to gather up the flames and hit one of the orbs in one throw. Sharing the same color as the flames, the orb got burned and popped. Reinorbaz made a trill of pain before burrowing again. Its head came up expectantly and grabbed Cleo in its pincers, then tossed her like a rag doll. Cleo barely rolled out of the way as a beam shot out if its mouth. She waited for it to get stuck again in one of its diving attacks and used Iris on the orbs, which started flashing new colors to counter her attacks. The colors flashed faster as more orbs were destroyed, so timing it got more difficult. Mini reinorbaz joined the fight and were quickly eliminated. Finally, a large white orb formed on its tail and Cleo chased it down and slashed away.

After it exploded, the rest of the body followed suit until only the head was left.

Then the sky lit with a rainbowy glow, shimmering above. It twisted and turned about into a spiral and a flash ignited. It appeared to have taken a physical form of a rare multi-colored metal in the shape of a frozen, swirling wind and floated down gently onto the snow. Cleo approached it when a dark plasma ball shot out of nowhere. She spun around to face Glacia.

"The essence is mine!" Then she shot more plasma balls at her. Cleo tried to dodge them, but was hit when she misstepped.

She was paralyzed. "No... NO!"

"You should have left while you had the chance. I'll deal with you shortly." Glacia went right by her to pick up the Essence of Light. "Now for the others." She turned back to Cleo. "They're what anchors you to this shadow realm without suffering the consequences for entering it. You'll be joining your friend soon."

"Jack... what do I do?"

"I-I do not know!" Jack couldn't do anything. He had managed to protect her once, but he didn't remember how he did it, he just reacted. _Think Jack, think!_ he told himself.

Just when he was sure they were out of luck, someone jumped in unexpectedly. "Belay it ya wench!" It was Scervo.

"Just _who_ are you?!" Glacia scoffed.

"I'd be the last thing ya'll ever lay eyes on!" He drew his sword. "Ya listen and listen good, Cleo'd be _me_ target and _mine_ alone!"

She tsked. "Out of my way idiot!" Glacia shot plasma balls at him and was caught by surprise that he deflected them with his electric sword. Her stunned moment made her vulnerable and he went on the offence. She was electrocuted and fell to the ground.

Cleo could suddenly move again, but she wasn't relieved. Glacia was hurt and Cleo knew she was in danger. "Stop!" But Scervo ignored her, worse, he wasn't done. He was about to finish her. "NO!" She charged at him and struck him in the side, causing him to stagger. He fought back, but Cleo was ready. She hit hard at his blade with every swing, completely ignoring the painful jolts and forcing herself to keep moving with her strikes. His sword finally broke in half and he fell. He stared in disbelief at the new strength she suddenly possessed. "You will NOT kill her!"

"Cleo, look!" Jack called out. Dark vapor seeped out of Glacia and flew away with an enraged cry. "It would seem Glacia can no longer be controlled by Veran now that she is unconscious. She is free now."

"Good!" She looked back at Scervo who was starting to get up. "You better leave right now! I'm not in the mood!"

"Ye ungrateful-! I just saved yer hide and this is how ya thank me?"

That was the final straw. "YOU TRIED TO KILL AN INNOCENT WOMAN RIGHT BEFORE HER WEDDING JUST BECAUSE SHE WAS IN THE WAY!" she hollered at him. "YOU DON'T CARE IF HER FIANCE NEVER SEES HER AGAIN! NOT ONCE DID YOU GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ANYONE!"

Unexpectedly, there was a small sign of bitter shock and hurt in Scervo's eyes, Cleo noticed. There was an intense silence as the robot pirate stared hard at her in rageful defiance. "Ya don't know what ya're on about..." His hand flew to his chest, it appeared to be clutching something in his coat. "Ya wouldn't have the gall ter throw judgment... if ya knew what I been through... what _I_ lost."

Cleo's anger was ebbing away. "It still doesn't give you an excuse to hurt people."

Another silence, then. "Ya wouldn't understand, ye be but a child." He turned around and walked away. "I would like ter finish our skirmish, but not today. After ya deliver the Snyorgan to her fiancee, we will meet at the Thunder Beacon Tower. There be no way around it, I know ya'll be going there for the essence. That is where we will settle the score."

After he had gone, Glacia began to stir. Cleo and Jack finally turned their attention to her. She woke up and looked surprised and scared. "W-what happened? Where am I?" She looked around her. "Where's Defross? We were supposed to dance!"

"It's okay, you'll see him tonight. The nightmare's over."

"It-it did feel like I was going through a nightmare... Huh? What's this?!" She just then realized she had the Essence of Light. "I don't who you are, but perhaps you need this..." She handed it over to Cleo.

_She got the Aurora Stream. The colors of the wind pour into the image and brings beauty to them!_


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 12

_I have come to retrieve what was once my father's..._

_I know you have... I have been waiting twenty years for your arrival. Welcome... my son..._

_...Mother... I have missed you so..._

_So have I... But our reunion cannot last, for time is short. Evil is almost upon us and only by your hand can we have a future._

_Do you believe I am ready. I do not feel ready..._

_You have been trained by the best from around the word, I know you can do it... I believe in you._

* * *

Cleo, Jack, and Glacia walked back to the Snyor Village. The moment they arrived, Defross was there waiting for them and Glacia ran to him, crying. They embraced each other and he comforted her, overjoyed to have her back. They all went to the town square where the music box sat.

"Cleo, will you do the honors?" Defross asked.

"Of course!" Cleo approached the box and turned the key a few times. The music that played was so heartswelling, she thought she was going to cry. The couple danced to the slow music as other Snyorgans watched. On a rooftop, in the distance, Scervo was also watching. There was almost a look of envy on his face and he was once again clutching something in his coat, with a gold chain just peeking out. He metaphorically let out a heavy sigh and slinked away into the darkness.

"It is time for us to go. Our work here is done."

"All right Jack." The moment the dance was over, Cleo and Jack said their goodbyes to the newly weds.

"Thank you for everything. We will never forget what you've done," said Defross.

"Please come back soon." Both Glacia and her husband bowed to Cleo.

"I hope you have a happy life together." She waved to them as she left the village with Jack.

* * *

"Where's the Thunder Beacon Tower?" Okam repeated after they got back and had asked this curious question of him. "I already know the next essence is there, but how did _you_ find out?"

"A robot tipped me."

"I do not recall Scervo giving you change," Jack reminded.

Cleo ignored him. "So what can you tell me about it?"

"Well granted, I've never been there so I can only tell you what I've learned from the scrolls. The Thunder Beacon Tower was once the source of power for the robot citizens who lived in the Twilight Realm."

"Wait, waddaya mean 'once was'?"

"There used to be robots a long time ago, but after it lost it's power, the ancient robots eventually died out. They couldn't live without the life energy it provided and they were left to rust away over the ages."

"But Scervo is still around. How is it possible for him to last so long?" Jack asked.

"...Uh, sorry I'm stumped on that one. Sheesh, you expect me to know everything?" he added rolling his eyes.

"So what's the next essence?" asked Cleo.

"According to the scroll, it's supposed to be the Sprite Cloud. If you're ready, I'll take you to the next warp. But listen, before you go..." Okam stood beside Cleo and placed a hand on her shoulder. It felt cold as ice. "I will have to admit that you have great talent as a warrior for such a small tike. Of course you still need Jack for this mission, but I know over time you can become great even with both hands tied behind your back. And I _do_ admire your skill, given the right purpose. I'm hoping after this is all over with, you can work for me? I could use a prodigy like yourself and I can give you whatever you wish for your loyalty. What do you say?"

"Uh, that's a pretty nice offer. But I have a life back in my realm and I'm planning on going home afterwards. So I'm gonna have to refuse. Sorry."

Okam removed his hand, looking a bit disappointed. But then he smiled. "That's fine, Cleo. But if you ever change your mind, be sure to let me know."

"Where is Princess Midna?" asked Jack.

"She's busy, as usual. You know she's got a lot of responsibility, being the Twilight Princess. I'll just tell her you said-"

But before he could say "hi", a Twili rushed in. "Okam, we got a problem!"

"It had _better_ be important!" He snapped, feeling irked at being interrupted.

"Um... ...um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um..."

"SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!" Cleo thought (although she figured it was just her imagination) that she saw a spark of flames on his eyebrows when he yelled.

"Oneofthesolsismissing!"

"What?! Which sol?"

"Uh, the left one..."

"But that powers the warps! How is Cleo supposed to _go_ anywhere?!"

"How should I know?"

"WHAT THE HELL DO I PAY YOU FOR?!"

"...You don't pay me."

* * *

They could clearly see the tower on a floating desert island in the distance. But with the warps down, getting there was impossible. "Can't you warp me yourself or levitate that far?" Cleo asked Okam.

"If I could, we wouldn't need the sol warps in the first place!" He had his arms crossed, one finger tapping as he tried to think of something. "We Twilis can only warp ourselves a short distance and even if I had the energy to carry you there, it would take a coon's age."

"What is a coon?" Jack asked.

"There you two are." Midna had appeared behind them. "I'm sorry I was so busy. I was having an important discussion with Lord Blumiere."

"Mid, do you have any ideas on what we should do?"

"Again with the nickname?" Okam asked shortly.

The princess placed her fingers to her forehead in thought. "...If we can't warp or fly you there, the only other way would be to fling you. But a place _that_ far, we need a huge strong thrust."

"Like a giant slingshot?"

"Yes exactly. But such a feat is dangerous."

"Dangerous or not, she doesn't have a choice. Besides, she won't mind getting hurt. Right Cleo?"

"Uh... maybe a little?" Cleo said tentatively. But Okam grinned rather impishly in response and the next thing she knew, she was smack dab in a makeshift slingshot he built himself with cushions strapped to her body and head and Jack clinging to her. "It's official, you're pure evil!"

"Oh hush up! Just close your eyes and pretend it's a roller coaster." He grabbed the back of her with his hair and pulled back as far as the band could go. "Are you ready?"

"Can't I go to the bathroom first?" A pause and then... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh~~"

"Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't suggested it!" Midna groaned.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Okam conjured a telescope and watched Cleo soar away and crash into the sand. She wasn't moving. _Oh gosh! I hope I didn't kill her!_ he thought. Midna had her hands over her mouth in distress.

Cleo was lying on the ground, gritty with sand and covered in down from the shredded cushions. "Cleo, are you all right?!" Jack asked urgently.

"... ...That old man's going to be the death of me. I just know it..." She unsteadily got back on her feet and walked across the desert toward the tower. The town she soon reached was completely deserted. There was not a trace of life, yet there were people here. She approached someone and could see how inactive he was. It was a robot like the ones she had met in the observatory and, like them, was long dead.

"It is strange... I feel so sad for these robots... but I do not think this is the first time I had such a feeling..."

"Have you met robots before?" Cleo asked.

"...Yes... I am sure I did... countless times..."

Cleo stared at him. Where in the world did he come from? The more she spent time with him, the more he seemed familiar to her. Of course, she was starting to have a feeling about his true identity, but it was still too soon to be sure. "We only have three more essences to go. Three more until we finally find out who you really are."

"Indeed. But first we have to get past Scervo." They were about to leave town when Jack stopped for a moment and unexpectedly took a different direction.

"Jack, the tower's that way." Cleo looked ahead at where he was floating to and saw a house a little ways off. She approached it and could see why it caught his attention. Unlike the rest of the buildings that simply had fallen apart naturally from years of neglect, this place looked like it had been damaged by force. There was a big gaping hole where the front door was supposed to be. Cleo stepped inside and saw the total devastation with pieces of furniture strewn about the room.

There was a painting still hanging on the wall, but lopsided. On it was a beautiful robotic woman standing next to someone else, but a wide tear prevented Cleo from seeing the other robot's face. She walked closer to try and adjust the tear so she could see who it was when she heard a faint creak. She quickly looked down at her feet and tapped the floor. She bent down.

"What are you doing?"

"This floorboard is loose." From her past experience, Cleo could tell that the sound she'd heard was from something hollow. She pulled up the loose board and reached into the hole, feeling around. She felt something and pulled it out, it was a letter. There was nothing written on the envelope, but she could tell it wasn't empty. "It's never been open. I wonder what's inside?..."

"Cleo, we cannot waste any time here."

"Look who's talking. You're the one who wanted to check out the place." She knew that something tragic had happened here a long time ago and she had a feeling that this letter was important. She put it in her backpack, deciding to read it later. After leaving the house, she looked over towards a large bed of loose earth surrounded by what was left of the fence, where there used to be a garden. She wondered what grew there once. She wished there was a Time Shift Stone here. Cleo and Jack moved on.

They left the town and continued on to the tower. They hit a cliff and looked down. By the tower, there was a wide flat area surrounded by high walls. In the center there stood a lone figure. That must be Scervo waiting for them.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

Sparklette also belongs to me, even though she doen't make an official appearance.

* * *

Chapter 13

As they tried to make their way down into the enclosed area, Scervo was alone and thinking to himself... wondering. He reached into his inner pocket and once again pulled out something connected to a gold chain. He gazed at the photo locket in his metal palm, but didn't open it. He'd looked at its content more times than his heart could take and he mustn't let any emotion get in the way of the challenge at hand. He had long ago abandoned those feelings... they don't matter, they don't help accomplish anything... And yet when the girl and her spirit friend showed feelings for each other, it aided them in their victory and Scervo himself was left defeated and confused.

"I don't get it!" He spat bitterly. "How in the blazes is she getting stronger?" Before he could figure it out. He heard footsteps approaching. He turned around and saw his opponent approaching. Cleo stopped before him. He gave her a pleased smirk. "So ya came lass. Good... Welcome ter the Tormenta Arena. This is where we will have our fight ter the finish."

"I don't want to fight you Scervo," Cleo immediately concluded. "I'd rather we not fight at all."

"Oh really?... Why?"

"Because it's pointless! Why do we have to fight if we can just simply talk this out instead?"

"There is no room for talk! Words will do ye no good!"

"Can't you at least answer some questions? Like why in the world do you want the Skribal Sword so badly?"

"... ... ...I have me own reasons... and they don't concern ye."

"I'm trying to save the Twilight Realm from Veran and a whole army of bugs and you're getting in the way, because _'you have your own reasons that don't concern me'!_"

"Ye'd best watch yer mouth, girly! Ya think ya can talk yerself out of a fight? Well it ain't working! Ya're going ter face me like a man, ready or not!"

"Cleo is not a man," Jack corrected.

"I told you I don't want to fight you," Cleo said crossly.

"WHY THE BLOODY HELL NOT?!" Scervo boomed, stamping his feet in frustration.

"Because as much as I dislike you... I don't want to hurt you."

"Ya shouldn't be concerned for me, Cleo... Just yerself." He drew his electric sword.

"Go right ahead." Cleo sat down with her arms and legs crossed. "Attack me if you want, I'm not even gonna lift a finger."

Scervo was completely stunned for a moment but then remembered that he shouldn't hold back, feel any weak emotion, show any mercy... He was a pirate, an outlaw, and he would not let anything stand in the way of his ultimate goal. He raised his blade and swung down... it stopped just a couple of inches from Cleo, who didn't even flinch and had an impassive look on her face. "... ...No fair... What _can_ I do?"

There was silence for a moment, but soon it was broken by a strange rumbling roar. They both turned (Jack apparently did too) toward the source and saw something fast approaching. Wild laughter and whooping rang out as the newcomers came and began encircling Cleo, Jack, and Scervo. They slowed to a halt and she could now see that they were robots on motorcycles. "Who are you?" Jack demanded.

"We're the Trojan Horse Gang," said the most sinister looking robot. Cleo figured he must be the leader. "And I am LD-053D Dreadfuse!"

Cleo knew they didn't bring good news. "Friends of yours Scervo?" she asked in a scowl. Her scowl disappeared when she saw his face. The hatred he had for her was nothing compared to what he was revealing as he looked at them.

"Why are ye here?" Scervo's voice was low with fury and loathing such as Cleo had never seen before.

"Well well Scervo, I see you're still alive. I thought we left you for dead."

"Hey boss, is this the girl Veran was talking about?" one of the members questioned.

"What?!" Cleo exclaimed.

"Look how puny she is! Why she's just a wittle baby!" said another with a mocking laugh. The others joined in.

"Shut it!" Scervo hollered.

"Stay out of it Scervo!" Dreadfuse warned. "We're just here for the girl and nothing else. Have you forgotten what happened the last time we crossed paths?"

"How could I possibly forget... after what ya _did?!_" There was a sinister hiss in his tone. Again he reached to the mysterious item in his coat. "What ya took from me, I will _never_ forget!" The gang started their cruel laugh again, finding whatever tragedy he'd had amusing.

"_What_ are they talking about?" Jack asked.

"I don't know what's going on between you, but I'm far more curious about Veran. Did she send you guys after me?" asked Cleo.

"Correct. She ordered us to stop you from gathering the Essences of Light," Dreadfuse admitted with pride. "We just had to cut out the power in those warps in order to corner you."

"You did WHAT?!" Cleo squeaked in shock. "So _you're_ the one who took one of the sols and forced me to be flung face first into the sand?!"

"Bingo, give the girl a prize!"

"What prize? This is not funny!" Jack put in.

Now Cleo's anger was rivaling Scervo's. "You are _so_ gonna get it!"

"Now wait a bloomin' minute! We aren't done here Cleo! Don't even think-"

"Talk to the hand, Scervo!" Cleo interrupted, raising the said hand.

"But hands cannot talk."

Cleo looked at her partner, still angry. "Jack, _seriously?!_"

"We wasted enough time here. Boys, let's round them up!" With yet another whoop of cackles, the Trojan Horse Gang revved up their engines and took off. Cleo leapt out of the way and watched them make a turn and head right back. One of the members started circling her again and a ribbon of light trailed behind. The ribbon did not fade.

Cleo tried to run through it but was knocked back. She was trapped with the rider, who brandished his electric blade and charged at her. She brandished her sword but stood frozen in fear. He was about to strike her down when Scervo leapt in and swung his blade at him, causing him to topple off the motorbike as it crashed through the ribbon. "Leave her be, the lot of you!"

"Scervo... why?"

"Go now!" Cleo open her mouth. "Cease yer questions and run!"

Cleo got up and ran toward the tipped-over motorcycle, knowing it was their only chance of escape. One quick check over the controls and she saw, to her dismay, that they were nothing like the ones on the bikes in her world. "Jack, do you know how to work this?"

"...Um."

"Didn't think so."

"Gangway!" Scervo urged her back. "I'm driving!" He got the bike up and mounted. "Well, climb aboard!" Cleo and Jack climbed on behind the pirate and the bike shot forward. Cleo pulled her hat down tightly so it wouldn't fly off. She could see the gang chasing them. They let loose the ribbon walls, they were planning to cross Scervo's path and cause him to crash up. He wildly swerved out of their way, trying to avoid hitting the walls.

"We've got to take them down!"

"Cleo, I am noticing each of the the streaks of light are a different color." This info Jack gave was all she needed. Cleo activated Iris and threw her sword at the streaks. It absorbed their color and solidity, and curved around the drivers path as it created its own wall, sending them flying.

They raced all around the Tormenta Arena. Cleo kept throwing her sword and tripping them up one at a time with their own walls. One of the members would get close to take a jab at Scervo and he countered. Eleven fell and now only Dreadfuse was left. He launched out sets of four pikes, planted in squares, all over the area. "What the heck is he doing?" Cleo asked in confusion. "He's not hitting us."

It turned out that they were not designed as ammo. There were flashing lights with a beeping sound on the top of the pikes that went faster and faster until... the pikes sunk down in a jerk and a surge of electricity shot down into the ground. There was a huge **CRACK!** as loud as the thunder and, as fast as lightning, huge square earthen pillars shot upwards. They were rising up all around them way too fast and Scervo made sharp wild turns to avoid a nasty crash and both Cleo and Jack wailed.

Dreadfuse, who must've done this many times before, followed them through the maze with expert maneuvers and caught up to them. He made a grab for Cleo. "C'mere girl!"

Cleo felt an electric shock when he grabbed her and she screamed. But when Scervo heard it, it wasn't Cleo's voice, he perceived a different one, one that belonged to a woman. "Sparklette!" He instinctively reacted and lashed out at Dreadfuse, his sword sliced through the arm holding Cleo. Dreadfuse howled in pain and she, recovering quickly, kicked at his motorbike, accidentally setting off another four pikes. They landed right ahead of them. Dreadfuse, still focusing on his target, pulled out his sword to take a swipe.

"Wait Dreadfuse, look out!" Cleo shouted. He slashed down onto the front wheel and she, Scervo, and Jack flew off and landed on the hard ground in a tumble. He laughed in triumph, but then his laugh turned into a scream when he saw, too late, that a new pillar had shot up without his realizing. With literally no time to make a turn, he smashed right into it in a great explosion.

Cleo was getting herself up, gasping a few "ow"s from her throbbing bruises. "Oooh..." Jack moaned from the ground. "I think... I am going to be sick..."

"No... no! Where is it?!" Cleo looked at Scervo, still on the ground. He was groping around, practically digging his fingers and hook in the dirt. "No, No! It can't be gone! It can't be!" He sounded really frantic. What was he looking for? She got her answer when she spotted a gold gleam just a little ways off. She went over to it and picked up the shining object. It was a locket, its lid popped open. Cleo saw the photo and drew a sharp intake of breath. Inside was an image of the same robot lady from the painting.

She looked up at Scervo who was now standing before her. He was bereft, he appeared drained both physically and emotionally, like someone who was lost in memories. There was a long silent pause between them. She held the locket out to him. "...Here you go," she gently offered. He slowly reached out and took it without complaint. "Sparklette... Was that her name?"

He nodded. "I was blind... not being able ter see the truth right in front of me... It's clear ter me now... that _ye_ were meant ter revive the ancient robots... whereas _I_ have failed ter do so."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 14

"...Has that been your goal all along?" Cleo asked.

"Aye, that be true. But without the power on, it was impossible ter climb the Thunder Beacon Tower... From what I heard, only the Skribal Sword can aid ye in the assent."

"So _that_ is why you were trying to apprehend her sword," Jack acknowledged.

"I even have a rune ready for this." Scervo reached into a pocket and pulled out a small stone. "Cleo, ye have earned this." He gave her the rune which read Draconequus.

"But what about you? What will you do?" Jack asked.

"I will but continue on with me life of piracy."

"But that does not make sense. You have saved my friend Cleo, yet you still wish to carry out such dishonorable deeds?"

"This is not a choice, it is fate. Even though Cleo has helped me in avenging me fiancee, I have nothing left but painful memories. Just go and do yer job and leave me be..." He was about to turn around and leave.

Cleo stepped forward. "Wait Scervo... I think I have something else that belongs to you." Cleo pulled out the envelope. "I found this in the ruined home where Sparklette lived. I have a feeling that this was meant for you. It's time that you finally receive it." Scervo was very surprised and took the letter. She started to leave.

"Wait, I almost forgot." Cleo looked back at Scervo. "Ya'll be needing a password if ye are ter revive the tower. The password is BENDROWNED."

"Bendrowned? But howcha know that?" Scervo didn't answer, he'd already started opening the letter and Cleo decided to let him read in private. Cleo soon left with Jack while Scervo began to scan the letter. As he read on, a single drop of oil had leaked out of his face.

* * *

They entered the tower and quickly saw why it was impossible to climb it without the Skribal Sword. The only means of transport was an elevator. Cleo tried the Rune of Draconequus and she drew an x on the flat ceiling. She suddenly fell upwards, landing on the x. She was now standing on the ceiling and was able to drop through the opening. The next few floors had no ceiling so she tried the rune on the wall and was able to walk on it. Some machines and other structures were in the way, making the climb a bit more complicated (not to mention there were even more bugs to fight). She had to switch between floor, wall, and the underside of structures to get higher. After going through the next opening, she found a chest containing the Rune of Mjolnir, giving the sword an electric surge and creating a clawshot to use on magnetic targets. She reached a computer and used Mjolnir to give it some power. Cleo input BENDROWNED when it required the password and a Timeshift Orb as big as a large beach ball appeared from the floor. It gave off a field covering one hundred feet in diameter and restoring the power within that field. She heaved it in her arms and an alarm sounded, revealing a Sphere Master (a floating hand that guarded the orb). She had to race against it in a nerve wracking game of keep away. She placed it in a vertical conveyer lift and rode up with it. Then she was forced to leave it on the floor, climb higher, and grab the orb with Mjolnir from the upper floors. After the exhausting chase, she installed the orb into a pedestal and was given one last computer test with a code breaker. No longer worrying about the hand, she experimented with the software and, within an hour, figured out the code pattern. She was given the big key to unlock the last door, then she took the orb with her.

Cleo and Jack were now at the very top and she could see another pedestal in the very center. Panting under the weight, she carried the Timeshift Orb to it. But before she could reach it- "Cleo, look at the sky! It appears to be growing angry!" There was a boom from within a dark cloud looming above. A silhouette appeared in the cloud and there was a horrible buzzing sound. Suddenly, the orb got sucked up into it along with her shield. The large invader lowered itself and she could now see it was a giant metal beetle, electricity surging through its body. Many pieces of metal (including the metal plated orb and shield) were orbiting the monster. It waved its large horn, ready to fight.

**Magnetic Scarab:**  
**Keprai**

It hovered above her and unleashed a hail of metal. Without a shield, it was very hard to avoid being hit. She activated Mjolnir and thrust down to create an electric shield. Then she latched onto the insect's abdomen but was lifted off her feet, she was too light to lasso it. After a failed attempt, she drew an x on the ground from her Draconequus rune and tried again. Magically attached to the ground, she was able to grab Keprai and pull it down. The hard landing knocked out a few pieces of metal plating from its exoskeleton. It flew back up and attacked with even more ammo ready. Cleo repeated the process a few more times until all the plating fell off, exposing a weak point. A pulsing core was revealed on its back and it was determined to protect it. It shot a jolt into the dark clounds which began unleashing thunder bolts, raining down from the sky. Then it was forced to land out of exhaustion and Cleo jumped on it to slash at the core.

Keprai began to vibrate after the core was shattered and then it went still and collapsed. The last sparks died, smoke furled out and black oil spilled.

Cleo retrieved her shield and the Timeshift Orb and proceeded to place it on the pedestal. At once, the orb glowed brighter and started to flash. A beam of light shot up into the dark clouds. They slowly turned red, flashes igniting within and a bolt shot down and connected onto the orb. A blue glow began to rapidly spread across the floor and all the way down the walls of the entire tower. The dull hue of the structure was flooded with color, the decay had vanished away. Then rain began to fall with droplets made of sparks, cascading down all over the desert region. Cleo knew they would bring life to the ancient robots below. She had done it.

At last, there was another flash in the sky, the one Cleo had been waiting for. From the red clouds, floated down a clustered ruby with plasma volts flowing within. It landed in her hands, the volts attracted to her touch.

_She got the Sprite Cloud. The power of nature creates a spark of life and surges through the image!_

* * *

_...sigh..._

_What's wrong Mr. Jack? Are you okay?_

_... ..._

_Here, you can have my ice cream if it will make you feel better._

_You are very generous child, but I cannot take it from you._

_It's okay. I can get another one._

_...Thank you..._

_I know why you're sad. You lost something didn't you. I know, because I lost something too, all the orphans did._

_It is not just something, it is everything. One time I thought for sure I was going to save my homeland and free my people. I fought a battle I thought would be my final one... but that victory was snatched away from me along with everything I held dear... And I let my family down..._

_...I'm sorry..._

_There is no need to be sorry. I have not given up hope, nor will I ever. No matter how much this evil has taken hold of this world, there will always be a small bit of light that will never go out. You are living proof of that my friend._

_You'll free us all Jack. I know you will... I believe in you..._

* * *

As soon as Cleo and Jack left the tower, Scervo was there waiting for them. "So... ya finally did it lass, just as I had hoped. Ye truly _are_ a rare breed for a wee pup, being able ter revive me tower."

Cleo was taken aback. "_Your_ tower?"

Scervo sighed. "I won't deny that. I was once the manager of Thunder Beacon Tower. I had kept a storm brewin', using the powerful forces of nature ter keep the robots alive for eons. Many Scervos before me had done so since the 002S model who built it after his banishment into the Twilight Realm."

"You say you use nature?" Jack quizzed. "So the tower is some sort of weather ray."

"I'm surprised you know what a weather ray is," said Cleo with interest.

"I have learned many things in my travels."

"So what happened?" Cleo asked Scervo.

"Dreadfuse..." he answered in bitterness. "He took Sparklette's life just before we were ter wed. Driven by revenge, I abandoned me post... at the worst time. The core was supposed ter be switched every hundred years... and it was overdue during me months away."

"He said he left you for dead."

"Aye, he thought he did after he overpowered me."

"How is it you are still alive all these years if the tower-?"

"That, me friend Jack, is because of a Timeshift Stone shard inserted inside me body. It's magic kept me forever frozen in time and, of course, Dreadfuse used the same method."

"So now that the tower is back on, will you finally give up being a pirate?"

"...Aye." He walked toward Cleo. "I hope ya don't mind, but can ya do me another favor?"

"Sure."

Scervo took her hand and placed a seed in her palm. "This was in her letter. She requested... as a wedding gift... that it be planted in a more lush location." Cleo looked at it, confused. "This wasn't always a desert, Sparklette use ter grow these ancient flowers in her garden. She loved them. But the land was starting ter become uninhabitable for those plants."

"I see. I'll find someplace for this."

"I took the liberty in retrieving the stolen sol and got the warp working again. Ya'll be able ter travel back safely."

Cleo gave him a big smile. "Thank you!" She did _not_ want to resort to using some crazy, painful method of going somewhere again. As she and Jack were approaching the warp, they got an unexpected surprise.

"Where do you think _you're_ going, you brat?" said a wheezing mechanical voice. Cleo spun round, immediately recognizing that voice but couldn't believe it, even as she stared shocked at the still smoldering form of Dreadfuse.

"You're dead!" she shouted exasperatedly.

"Not yet... Not until _you_ start pushing up daisies first!"

"How is gardening a punishment?" Jack asked.

"Jack, it means he's going to kill us!" Cleo corrected.

"I'm going to enjoy this! Granted, he won't be too pleased when you're gone, but he'll still have the essences nonetheless."

"Wait a minute! Who's '_he_'?"

"I'll tell you... after I drag you down to Hell with me!" Dreadfuse opened his coat, revealing bombs tied to his body, they had been lit. Knowing they couldn't outrun the blast in time, the pair dove toward the warp. They heard the loud blast and felt the heat and they both disintegrated... into black particles flying through the warp.

After they reappeared back in Castle Town, Cleo said in a shaky voice "_Now_ I know he's dead!"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 15

Cleo's mind was furiously buzzing with questions. Who was the one Dreadfuse mentioned? Was there really someone else besides Veran that she had to worry about? And if so, was she in collaboration or did she have competition?

When they arrived back at the Palace of Twilight, no one beside the refugees was around, no Midna or Okam to greet them. "I wonder where they might be?" Jack asked.

"They're probably busy," Cleo guessed. She decided to go look for them. After some wandering around and asking some Twilis, she came to a room Okam was said to be in.

As she approached, she overheard his voice and it sounded irritated. "...I _gave_ you the information needed, just do it!" Cleo went in. She could see Okam talking to a light blue stone she recognized as a gossip stone. For a brief moment she thought she heard Midna's voice coming from the stone, but the tone didn't sound right, it sounded harsh. The elder Twili suddenly realized Cleo was there and he quickly threw it in a drawer which fused into the wall. He turned to her looking aggravated. "Don't you knock?"

"Well... I'm back and I'm just wondering where I can find-"

"Green Flash, Midnight Hollow," he said shortly. "And I'm busy right now."

"What's eating you?"

"Why, does he have fleas?" Jack wondered.

Okam gave them a glare to rival that of a charging bull's. "Both of you, out!"

"Whoa! If you stare at me any harder, your eyebrows will catch on fire again!"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Okam grabbed a vase and both Cleo and Jack ran for it, the pot thrown at her narrowly missed her head.

They ran as fast as they could to get away from the angry Twili, he got real scary fast. They nearly crashed into Midna. "Cleo, what's going on?"

"Mid... tell me, were you talking to Okam with a gossip stone just now?"

"No... why?"

Cleo didn't answer, she was now thinking deeply. "...Midna, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it Cleo?"

Cleo quickly looked around the corner where she had come from. She lowered her voice. "I'm going to get the next essence. While I'm away, I need you to keep a close eye on Okam."

Midna looked confused. "That's a very odd request. What are you getting at?"

"...I had this suspicion for awhile, but... I wasn't sure at first... Listen, I think... I think it's possible that Okam might be a traitor... and he's secretly working for Veran."

"Cleo, that's a very serious accusation," Midna gasped. "Are you sure?"

"Not entirely... I just have this gut feeling... That's why I'm asking you to spy on him."

"...All right... I trust your judgment. I'll keep an eye on him for you and send a messenger to let you know first hand if I find anything suspicious."

"Thank you."

"Allow me to escort you to the last warp."

"...The last? I thought I was going for the second to last Essence of Light."

"The last two destinations are actually on the same floating island. I looked at the scroll myself, it said the Green Flash is in Midnight Hollow and the Eclipse Ring is in the Blue Crater Volcano. Since those places happen to be close to one another, it would be faster to get both of the Essences on the same roundabout trip."

"That's great, Midna. I'm really looking forward to ending it."

* * *

After appearing from the warp, they found themselves in a forest that strongly reminded Cleo of Boggly Woods from another game she had played. They strolled on through until they noticed that some of the trees were not as full of life as the ones farther out. These trees were withering, losing their natural bioluminescent light, some were completely dead and bare. They found more and more of them the further they traveled, until they were completely surrounded by dead or dying trees.

"Something is wrong here... I sense some kind of evil taking life from this forest," Jack said.

"I wonder what's causing this?" Cleo said. "Is this a disease... or something else?" She heard something ahead, a choked voice. It sounded like coughing. "There's someone over there!" She ran toward the sound with Jack closely following.

They soon arrived at some kind of hut village in a wide, hollow. The inhabitants were the most interesting she'd seen so far, they were raptor-like, in shape, but they seemed to be more flora than fauna. Their bodies looked to be made of a wooden pith covered in thin bark, the exterior of them were twigs, leaves, maybe flowers (but they were all sadly drooping). The entire atmosphere was grimly morbid, almost all of them were weak, moving slowly and shakily, there was an occasional cough. The mood hanging over them was so grave that they seemed to be devoid of hope.

Cleo watched on as she got closer, she saw a very young one on the ground, crying. Its parent came and picked it up, trying to tend to it, calm it down, but to no avail. This made her feel like crying herself. The parent saw her and, looking afraid, ran off with the child into a hut, slamming the door behind her.

Now the inhabitants were realizing they had an unexpected visitor and they were looking at her as though she was some very naughty child who had completely ruined a party. "I do not like this," Jack observed.

"They've never seen a human before. You can't blame them for being afraid." But she quickly realized exactly what Jack meant. They were more angry than afraid, in fact, they didn't seem to want her there at all.

"What are you doing back here?" said an angry voice. The oldest looking one of the village (must be the chief she thought) stepped out of the crowd. "How dare you show your face again!"

"What are you talking about? I wasn't here before!" Cleo explained.

"Don't lie to us! We are not fools, you're the one who brought this terrible plague upon the Drabokos and all of Midnight Hollow!"

"What?! How could you think such a thing?!"

"Because you told us so yourself. When we suddenly fell ill with a sickness that spread and killed so many trees and some of my people, you came and confessed to us of your horrid crime, laughing so cruelly as we were slowly dying! You're a vile monster, dooming us all to rot away just because it amuses you!"

Cleo was at a loss for words. She'd never felt so wrongly accused so unexpectedly. Nothing he said made any sense.

"Cleo is not the culprit!" Jack defended. "She did not do anything wrong!"

"Liar!" Someone shouted and then others took up the cry in their wheezing voices. "Monster!" "Drive her away!" "She's a witch!"

"_Please,_ listen to me! I'm not here to hurt you, I'm just here for the essence and I want to hel-"

"Oh, is that it?" the chief interrupted. "So you cursed us so we would hand over the Essence of Light in payment of ransom? We will never let you have the essence as long as we all live!"

"No! You don't understand! I-" a rock hit her on the head, knocking her down. Blood trickled down her face from where it had struck. They began to throw more rocks at her.

"Kill her!" "She's the cause of this!" "Don't let her escape!" She quickly got up and tried to run. She needed to get away and make a plan before returning here with a proper defense. But the Drabokos had blocked her path and, despite their weakened state, were able to seize her by the wrists and pin her down. Jack was buried in the angry mob. "Stop! You are making a mistake!" But his shouts were drowned by their outcries.

Cleo struggled as hard as she could. She knew they were getting desperate, thinking her death would end their problem. But what could she say to prove her innocence? Then, out of nowhere, there was an even louder, angrier cry. Someone was charging toward the mob and the Drabokos cleared away in a panic. "Avast ye, the lot of you!"

Scervo had arrived, waving his sword threateningly at them. "Wait, don't Scervo! They're just very scared, confused people!"

He turn right around and hoisted her up. "C'mon, lass!" All three bolted from the scene, thankfully the Drabokos didn't give chase as they ran through the trees into another part of the forest.

They stopped in a grove of still living trees, Cleo was trying to catch her breath. "Are you still... following me?" she asked between breaths.

"Had ter, in case ya needed me help. Ye were bound ter run into more trouble, still not quite finished with yer treasure huntin'. Next time, ya should keep yer wits about ye! I can't keep bailing ye out like this, ya know!"

"But I didn't actually expect that! How am I supposed to find the next essence if I can't even get near the village without them trying to murder me?"

"Aye, a tricky situation, that. From what I overheard, there be someone else posing as ye."

"You mean someone's framing me! It has _nothing_ to do with self-portraits!" she cut off Jack, who uttered something, knowing exactly what he was about to say.

"Actually, I was about to ask who might have the sorcery to take on your appearance. But I am guessing now that it is Veran again."

"Duh! Of course she can take on someone else's appearance, I saw Midna do that once to amuse herself." Cleo turned back to Scervo. "So, can you tell me something about Midnight Hollow and the Drabokos? I might be able to figure something out if I know a little more about this place."

"Did... didn't yer boss tell ye already?"

"Okam isn't my boss and no, he didn't. He was in a bad mood. And I didn't ask Midna 'cause it slipped my mind."

"Well, I'll tell ye as much as me own memory banks have about this place. Ya see, there is a tree in the very center of Midnight Hollow called the Tree of Dusk. It was the very first tree ter grow here. It had spread its seeds all over the hollow and a forest grew around it. Over many moons, a race descended from deku tribes, that were banished into the Twilight Realm, took refuge in the forest and revered the tree as their haven. The Drabokos are the most reclusive race in the whole realm, mostly keeping ter themselves and rarely making contact with others. They have remained undisturbed for a long time."

"Until Veran decided to mess with their lives!" Cleo blurted out in anger. "After they've done _nothing!_"

"Aye and that not be all. Veran, most likely has put a black spot on the tree itself as well."

"The tree's dying too?"

"I'd bet me bottom rupee she did!"

"So what can I do about it?"

"There be a simple solution. The fertile volcanic soil from Subrosia."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

Squurall also belongs to me.

* * *

Chapter 16

"Subrosia? I'm sorry, but I'm not up to such a long trip and I doubt the Drabokos will last much longer."

"What are ya blatherin' about? Subrosia is just a hop and a skip away."

Cleo's eyes widened. "Oh, really? It's actually in the Twilight Realm?"

"Yes, what cha expect?"

Cleo, having played Oracle of Seasons, felt wrong-footed. She didn't know the place was part of this realm. "But how does volcanic soil help?"

"Because volcanic soil is very valuable for plant life," Jack voluntarily answered. Cleo and Scervo both looked at him. "What? It is. I know because I once lived in a country lined with mostly dormant volcanoes."

Cleo smiled. Jack's memories were steadily becoming more and more complete, it was especially gratifying that he was even remembering about his home.

"Smart, yer spirit mate. Yes, with that kind of soil, ya can guarantee some very healthy plants, including some medicinal herbs that will help the Tree of Dusk. Subrosians grow 'em and grind 'em up in windmills. If ya want ter borrow any, ye'll have ter go ter those mills."

"Is there anything else I should know?" Cleo asked. Scervo shook his head. "Well thanks. Jack, let's hurry. We can't leave Midnight Hollow hanging."

* * *

Cleo and Jack trudged through the wilderness until the scenery changed slowly to become more like a savanna and the air was getting hotter. There was another town there, with buildings made of hollowed out boulders and there were rivers with flowing lava. Cleo could see Blue Crater Volcano ahead, but knew she had to postpone her trip there. The Subrosians, were stooped hooded figures who looked up to see a new visitor and, out of curiosity, swarmed around her to get a better look.

"A stranger!" One said in excitement.

"A very _strange_ stranger, indeed," said another.

"I've never seen a Draboko like that before," said a third.

"I don't think it's a Draboko," replied the second.

"It doesn't look like it came from around here," said a fourth.

"Why is there a floating fire following it? Now I want one! Do you keep them as pets?"

"I think it's some weird looking pale Twili."

"I think I saw another one just like this one, near another mirror portal almost a month ago, except that one was tall, a little more broad, and wore white robes."

The Subrosians continued their pointless murmuring and bickering that made little sense. Cleo and Jack disentangled themselves from the crowd and continued through the town while a few of the hooded folk trailed behind them, still intrigued by this alien they saw Cleo as. They soon found the windmills with bodies also made of hollowed boulders and pinwheels made of wood and cloth. The sails weren't moving however, they were all still as statues. Cleo and Jack went inside one after the Subrosians had finally dispersed.

They looked around, it was completely empty, no one working, no herbs, or anything. With nothing to do there, they exited. "What now?" Cleo asked.

"I-I do not... Wait! Cleo, look up there! At the top!" Cleo's eyes traveled up the windmill until they rested on the sails, then realized there was something glinting at the very center. "Is that... a rune?"

"Yes, it is!" This might be the opportunity to gain a new power. She used Draconequus and walked up the wall. She reached out and grabbed the new rune, it read Futen.

"What are you doing up there?!" an unknown voice cried out. Cleo jumped, which is a bad idea when you're high up. The spell was instantly broken the moment her feet left the wall and she fell to the ground with a THUMP! She laid on her back, looking up at the face (just the eyes, really, as it was hidden in a hood) of another Subrosian wearing a bowtie. "Are you crazy or what?"

Cleo got up, feeling sore and not just physically. "Thanks a lot for almost killing me!"

"Hey, _sorry!_ I guess I didn't get the memo that my windmill needed maintenance."

"Memo? Is this another saying I do not understand?" wondered Jack.

"No, it's not," sighed Cleo. "You say this is your windmill?" she asked the bowtied Subrosian.

"Yep. My name's Squurall and I own all these windmills. So what business do you have here?"

"Well, I was trying to get some herbal medicine for the Drabokos. They're very sick, getting sicker by the second!"

"Yes, I've recently heard about that. But as you can see, it's hard to make a living when there is no wind. There hasn't been a breeze for awhile so I can't make any kind of profit, not even from medicine."

"Well, maybe the new rune can help... maybe?" Jack suggested.

"I hope so." Cleo was starting to feel frustratingly antsy. She added the Rune of Futen to the Skribal Sword.

"That rune... was _that_ why you were climbing the windmill?" asked Squurall.

Not answering, she activated it and the sword did a fast swirling motion in the air. There was a sudden _wooooshhhhhh_ that caused her hat to fly off her head. "Good thing it is not a straw hat, otherwise it would be long gone," Jack chuckled.

Cleo grunted as she chased after it. Squurall looked ecstatic, he was hopping. "You have the Skribal Sword! Why didn't I see that? Say kid, you can help out, right? Get all ten of those windmills moving and I'll give you the medicine, free of charge!"

"Really?... Thanks!" Cleo's frustration was gone immediately.

"I better go get those herbs!" Squurall dashed off so fast, he looked like he'd turned into a cloud of smoke. Cleo went right to work, using Futen to summon the wind and get each of the ten windmills moving. It wasn't as easy as it looked as she had to twirl her sword at just the right speed (not too fast or too slow) so the sails would move, and properly.

After she was done, she sat down to take a breather ("What is a breather, some kind of drink? But you are underage!" said Jack) and wait for Squurall to come back. Thirty minutes passed and he didn't return. She was getting antsy again. "_What_ is taking him so long?"

"I have a bad feeling about this." After Jack said it, Cleo got up and went to look for Squurall. They ran down the path he had taken and soon heard a scream.

Squurall came barreling past them, much faster than his little legs could possibly carry him. "B-BUGS! BUGS EVERYWHERE! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Cleo was spun around and toppled from dizziness. A member from the insect army (a locust) came hopping toward her. She recovered just in time to counter its attack and brought it down.

Squurall peeked from behind a rock, shaking. Cleo looked back at him. "Are you alright? I'll take care of them!" She ran toward the herbal plantation and saw a dozen locusts infesting the place. They were devouring the valuable leaves, stripping the bushes bare. Cleo charged at them and slashed them into pieces. After they were taken care of, she went around the plantation and picked the leaves, gathering as much as her pockets could hold.

Squurall finally came out of hiding. "You're not hurt, right? Sorry I was dead useless, 'cuz you know, I'm a bit of a coward."

"Better to run away and live to fight another day," Jack moralized.

"We need to get these herbs over to the windmills, quickly," Cleo suggested.

They hurried to the nearest windmill and let it do all the work. After some impatient waiting, she finally got the medicine. "But how will we deliver it to the Drabokos?" Jack asked in worry. "They do not trust you."

"Why would they not trust you?" asked Squurall. "I know you're not of this realm, but you don't look dangerous."

"They think I'm the one who made them sick because there's another who looks like me!" Cleo snorted.

"_What?!_"

"There's also the tree that needs saving too, but I don't know if this will be enough. The locust ate most of 'em!" Cleo figured that was on Veran's orders.

"The tree? Oh, of course!"

"What is it?" asked Jack.

"There is a spring right in the bottom of the tree's interior. It has channels that spreads throughout the forest. If you dump the medicine in there, it'll spread in no time. Everything will be healed!"

"But there is still the problem of getting inside the Tree of Dusk. The Drabokos will not let Cleo near it."

"Don't worry Jack, I already have a plan ready," Cleo replied.

* * *

Two guards were standing before the arched wooded pathway to the Tree of Dusk. Still the healthiest and fittest they could possibly be in Midnight Hollow, they needed to protect the very heart of the forest from further harm.

"Why are we doing this?" one of them asked his partner. "The tree is dying, what is the point of this? We're _all_ going to die."

"We need to have more faith in our sacred tree. It hasn't failed us yet, we have always depended on it for its life giving protection," the second sighed with a wheeze. "If we can only hold onto the hope that it will pull through, it gives us enough reason to protect it."

The first made a rough cough. "And... if it does die...?"

"Then _we_ will have failed it." The second was suddenly alert. "Do you hear that?" They heard rustling. "Who goes there?" he demanded.

Someone was lurking in the shade of a nearby thicket. They could only see the shadowy silhouette of a short person, a child perhaps. "Is that...? It's her! It's that witch!" The first one exclaimed.

"Stay where you are!" the second shouted. The girl began to back away. "I said halt!" He marched toward her and as he got closer, she turned right around and ran. "After her! We can't let her escape!" Both of the guards began their chase, the first one still coughing.

After they were gone from their post, Cleo came out of hiding from a large bush, followed by Jack. "It worked, Cleo! They are chasing your shadow."

Cleo smiled, although she felt a bit guilty for tricking them like that. "The Anubis shadow will linger for a few more moments before the magic runs out. Let's get to the springs quickly." They ran down the path that led to their destination until they were standing before a trunk so massive, you could fit an entire dungeon inside it. And she had a feeling that was exactly what it was going to be.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

The strategy to beat Staltula doesn't belong to me either. lol!

* * *

Chapter 17

She walked part way around the tree. "How do I get in?" She came closer to it, she could almost touch it. "Jack, any ideas?"

"I was once taught that the plant life have a kind of spirit in them. We need to find out what it is feeling."

"How?"

"Let your mind be one with nature, with the tree itself. Try to feel its emotion, its pain."

That won't be easy, she'd never done this before. Maybe if she could just imagine what it might be like to feel so terribly sick she felt like she was dying. She reached out with this sympathetic thought and placed her hand on the bark. Focusing hard, she let her sense of touch discern the pain it was going through, _really_ feel as if her hand was burning from that pain.

At once, a small knot on the trunk grew wide, opening like a mouth. Cleo peered into the dark entrance. "It has welcomed you," Jack said, sounding like he was smiling. "It knows you are here to help." Cleo was silent as she stood there for a moment and then calmly walked in.

* * *

Midna was lying in bed, looking relaxed with her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling gently. But she wasn't asleep, she was listening hard with her long ears, trying to pick up any kind of sound that was out of the ordinary. She heard movement coming from the hallway, someone was walking by and stopping right outside her closed door, it opened a crack. Midna carefully opened her eyes a millimeter so as to still appear sleeping yet be able to see what was happening. She could see someone peeking in through the crack, probably checking to see if she was awake. From the sound of the person's breathing, she was sure it was Okam. Then the door closed and the footsteps died away.

Midna got up quietly and tiptoed to her door to hear if Okam was still nearby, but the hallway sounded empty. She dissolved into a black mass of particles and went right through the door. After reappearing in the hall, she looked both ways to see where he'd gone and saw a shadow disappearing around a corner to her left. She quietly followed it. Okam looked around him and continued his nighttime stroll. Midna followed him carefully, trying not to get caught, turning into a shadow whenever he looked back. He was looking over his shoulder more often than necessary, which seemed suspicious. He clearly didn't want to be observed.

But the weirdest thing she noticed was not his strange behavior, it was his shadow. It... didn't look right, it didn't even look like him, it looked like something else, something tall and angular, with rows of chevron shaped extensions on the head, pointing upwards. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but Midna felt goose-bumps when she saw it. She tried to ignore it.

Okam stopped at his own door and too dissolved into a black mass and went through. Midna turned into a shadow again and quietly entered. She quickly fused into the shadow of a pot that he'd never had a chance to throw at Cleo. She saw him open the drawer and pull out the gossip stone. Then she heard a voice she instantly recognized, as the owner shared the same voice as herself.

"My forces are on their way to gain the Green Flash from the Drabokos now that they've weakened. And I've managed to put the blame on that stupid girl for the sickness I caused them and their tree. They may have already torn her apart in their anger by now." There was an edge of cruelty in the voice.

Midna quickly stifled her gasp. Okam glanced sideways at the pot for a moment, then turned back to the gossip stone, deciding it was nothing. "Maybe, but you forget Veran, Cleo is not an ordinary child, strong, clever."

"Oh bah! You know full well she cannot survive without that lost spirit."

"Yes, that's the problem. Jack is the reason she's still alive, which is why you should've taken him out first. He is a danger to my plan... as he always has been."

"...Are you saying you actually know him?"

"Let's just say Jack and I go _way_ back."

"Now you've got me curious. Who _is_ he exactly?"

"Never you mind, this is not important. There are still two essences left and I want you to go straight to the Blue Crater Volcano."

There was a scowl of disappointment "...Yes master."

Okam put away the stone and stretched his arms, yawning. He suddenly whipped around and shot lasers right out of his eyes, smashing the pot. Midna was thrown from the shadow, now exposed. "Isn't it past your bedtime, _Princess_ Midna?" Midna ran out through the door, needing to get away from her betrayer. But to her great shock, her escape was thwarted by... giant insects. They had gotten in. Okam appeared before her looking triumphant. "Did you _really_ think you were the one in charge, Sparkling Vampire Princess?"

"You will not get away with this, Okam! You will face justice, mark my words!"

"Haven't you figured it out by now? I have been the one in control all along... I have already won." Then he let out a terrible, demonic, echoing cackle that was unlike his own elderly voice. His appearance began to change before her very eyes and she looked horrified.

* * *

Cleo and Jack were now inside the tree. They could see spiderwebs stretched over nooks and crannies. There was a large hole in the floor in the middle of the main room, which was also covered in a web. Nowhere to go but up, she used Draconequus to walk up a wall that had a smooth surface. Up one floor, she found a wooden bridge mounted on a post topped with a fan. She activated Futen to blow the fan and turn the bridge for her to cross. In the next room, there was a mass of dead plants, blackened by poison and swarming with undead. Jack figured that whatever had spawned those zombies was the one poisoning everything. Cleo killed off the ravenous attackers and moved on to a turning bridge maze. After maneuvering around that, she found a chest containing the Rune of Viridi. It gave her the power to regrow the plantlife. She spent the rest of the trip, growing vines on walls allowing her to climb higher and bringing smaller trees back to life. She went through another maze with shadow babas in her way, requesting certain tree fruits to let her pass. After delivering the right fruit to each of them, she found the big key. Now that she was at the top, way above the web covered hole, she took a brave leap and fell hard and fast, breaking through the web and landing in strangely purple water. She quickly got out before the poison could do permanent damage to her, then unlocked the last doorway.

The two entered an underground corridor, right underneath the tree's roots. Ahead of them, across the soft patches of soil, was a pond the size of a swimming pool surrounded by streams flowing into small tunnels, the walls were strewn with webs. The water was murky and black and, as they approached, some splashes of more black droplets came cascading down into the pond. They looked up and saw a hole dug into the roof, with something stirring inside, making a horrid scratching sound. It finally sensed their presence and lowered itself just above the water. It looked like a skeletal spider, bone white and undead looking, with ribcage ridged markings on it's back. It's many blank white eyes were looking right at Cleo.

**Necro Arachnid:**  
**Staltula**

It suddenly started spitting poison at her and she ran all the way back to the door, out of range. Then it began spewing gas on the bank of the pond. Undead bodies emerged and came after her. Jack said there were too many for her to handle with the Skribal Sword alone and she needed extra defenses. Looking at the soft soil, she tried the Rune of Viridi and grew some giant bell flowers. They started firing seeds at them and Cleo took care of the ones that made it to her. One of the seeds hit Staltula. While it was stunned, she rushed ahead, blew it onto the bank with Futen and slashed away. It pulled itself back up on its web and shot poison onto the flowers, killing them, then spawned more zombies that rose faster and bigger, with different defenses. Cleo grew a variety of plants to counter the army, some flowers provided magic for the Skribal Sword.

After Staltula was attacked again, it retreated onto the water, skittering across the surface. Cleo went after it, growing lily pads to stay out of the poisonous pond. She hopped between lilies to dodge its web shots, and went into offence after it exhausted itself. It suddenly shot one more web at her and pulled her in its front legs. Before it could bite, she wriggled out of its grip and jumped on its back. She stabbed down hard.

Cleo leapt onto a lily pad as Staltula rolled over, twitching violently, until it stilled and sunk down into the bottom.

She pulled out the package containing the medicine and dumped all of it into the contaminated spring. Within several minutes, the blackness faded away, leaving clear water. As though there was some magic in the spring, new plants began to grow across the soil from the bank. Grass, flowers, tree saplings, all were rapidly sprouting from the ground. "The forest is finally returning from the decay of evil," said Jack. "Now all we have to do is wait for the Essence of Light."

Cleo was able to relax in the fresh, clean flush of a healthy forest, feeling relieved after encountering such noxious hazards. She breathed in fresh air, smelled the fragrant flowers, and drank from the spring. As she drank, a bright light appeared over the water. Cleo didn't bother using Viridi, the lily pads just moved on their own as she walked forward to it. She reached out for the vivid, chartreuse light and it landed in her hand. A tiny emerald was resting on her palm, emitting the radiant glow.

_She got the Green Flash. The first glimpse of verdant light shines upon the lost and awakens their soul!_

* * *

_So you are from the distant past, I see?_

_Yes... I was told that you alone know the secret location of a hidden portal through time._

_You were told correctly._

_I am in desperate need of it... The entire world is depending on me. I must get right back to that very battle I fought all those eons ago and finally finish what I started. Once I do, all the evil he has caused will vanish and history will change for the greater good._

_I have been waiting my whole life for the warrior who had been lost through time. I warn you Jack, the path ahead will be dangerous._

_I know... I am used to that..._

_Very well, I will point the way... it is time to fulfill your destiny._


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 18

Just one more essence to find. One more and they would be able to save the Twilight Realm from Veran and her horde of insects. It was almost over.

Cleo and Jack exited the Tree of Dusk and the moment they did, they ran into another near-disaster. The whole village was there waiting for Cleo and it didn't seemed that their attitude had improved. "This has gone far enough!" It was the chief who shouted. "First you plague us, then you enter the tree without permission! What have you done this time?!"

"I just saved all your lives!" Cleo still couldn't believe that they were all still falsely accusing her. "I cleared the spring, damn it! It's filled with medicine now, you just need to drink it!"

No one appeared convinced, however. "Where's your proof? Your words alone can't trick us into trusting you!"

"Can't you see what's in front of you, the tree is healed now! Just look at it!"

"The Tree of Dusk is special!" one of the Drabokos spoke up. "It has always protected us, it has never failed us before! We have always believed it will find a way to heal itself, you have _no_ involvement in this! The Tree of Dusk has defied you!" Many of the others nodded and murmured in agreement.

"Will you _please_ use your common sense!" Cleo shouted in exasperation. "No living thing can adapt against a foreign disease this fast, not _even_ this one! IT'S JUST A TREE!"

"Cleo, that is not wise!" Jack warned, urgently.

"I say we drown her in the river if she thinks it's safe!" They were all closing in on her. Cleo couldn't find a way out, even if she ran back inside the tree, she'd eventually be cornered.

"WAAAAAAIIIIIIT!" Suddenly, a Subrosian pushed his way through the crowd until he managed to stand between Cleo and all of Midnight Hollow. "You _have_ to listen to her! Cleo is innocent, she's telling the truth!" Cleo realized it was Squurall.

"Get out of the way, Subrosian! This is none of your concern!"

"But it's true! She _did_ use a special herbal medicine on the spring! I know because _I'm_ the one who gave it to her." The Drabokos now looked confused, they started whispering to each other. "I make the medicine with the windmills in Subrosia. The moment Cleo learned about what happened here, she came to me asking for help. She was trying like crazy to find you all a cure!"

The chief was now staring at Cleo, moderately unsure. After a long, intense moment of thinking, he finally spoke. "We will drink the water only once, but only if you swear to leave this forest... and never return. Never again show your face here!"

Cleo didn't argue. Although she was still unwelcome at Midnight Hollow, at least she got to go free. She, Jack and Squurall left the woods. They were silent while they walked back to Subrosia. "I'm sorry about all this... at least they'll recover," Squurall assured her. She smiled in response, some of the trees she'd noticed on the way back were returning to full bloom.

"I'm gonna be heading to the Blue Crater Volcano and get the last essence now."

"Yes, let us hurry before something else-" Jack was suddenly interrupted with a violently shaking _**RRRRRRRRRRRRR-**__**KABOOOOOOOM!**_ "...happens."

Cleo and Squurall turned toward the source of the noise and watched in alarm as the volcano erupted, spewing tons of lava over the side. "Don't worry!" Squurall shouted over the explosion. "We Subrosians can survive this! There's nothing you need to-"

"THE LAVA'S HEADING TOWARD THE FOREST!" Without a second thought, Cleo ran back the way she came.

"But the chief told you-" Squurall couldn't finish his sentence before Cleo was out of earshot. She didn't care if the Drabokos hated her or might attack her again should she set foot back in Midnight Hollow, she had to do _something_ before they were utterly destroyed.

Many of the villagers were startled by her return. "Why are you back?!" the chief asked perturbed.

"Lava is erupting and heading your way! You've all got to get out of the forest right now!"

"I don't have anymore time for your nonsense!" he sighed angrily. But the Drabokos suddenly began shouting and gathering as they noticed a harsh red glow slowly lighting up the horizon beyond the trees. They were beginning to panic. "Please everyone, stay calm!"

"Chief, you have to get everyone mobilized and evacuate!"

"Even if you _are_ telling the truth, we cannot abandon the Tree of Dusk. We just can't!"

"You don't have a choice! You'll all die if you stay put."

But the chief shook his head. "You simply don't understand. It may be just a tree to you, but it's far more precious to us than that. We won't abandon it."

Squurall and Jack caught up with Cleo. She turned to her partner. "They still won't listen. I don't know what to do!"

"We saw the lava. It is flowing in through a deep gorge with a fork in the path. If we can somehow manage to block the pathway that leads to the forest with some sort of dam, it will divert the flow the other way."

Cleo nodded and turned back to the chief. "Please, I beg you! Leave the forest for your own safety. I will try to protect the tree. Just go!" He hesitated a second longer, then finally gave the order to his people to run.

"Hey, I almost forgot. I found another rune." Squurall gave one marked Shenlong to Cleo. "I don't know what it does, might want to save it for later." Cleo then took off toward the gorge.

She ran as fast as she could, until she arrived at a forest fire. She found the flow of lava coming out of a gap in the rocky wall. It had hit a river, causing it to solidify and creating thick, blinding steam. The deep water was slowing it down, but it wouldn't last. It would eventually overflow and burn the entire forest. Only a few trees were burning, but the fire would spread unless she could stop the lava. Cleo used Will-o-wisp to light her way through the steam and Viridi to grow vines to climb up the the cliff face. She raced to the fork in the path and, looking closely at the rocky walls for a weak point, then used Mars to draw bombs.

Boulders blew off the walls and fell, crashing down, onto the lava, cutting it off from the forest. The lava got thicker, rising higher in the now limited space, but thankfully, the dam held. "You did it Cleo!"

"We're not out of the woods yet, Jack!"

"Actually, we are several yards outside the woods and we need to go back in to stop that fire."

"That's what I meant!" Cleo snapped.

"Oh!" They ran back to the forest fire. Cleo equipped the Rune of Futen and was about to use it. "NO WAIT! THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA!" As Jack shouted, she was already creating a strong wind blowing through the flames. The fire, to her great shock, didn't die down, instead it immediately rose into an inferno. The sound of the flames and falling trees was deafening.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! That always worked on birthday candles!"

"Fire feeds on air as well as wood! The wind is only making it stronger!"

"AW CRAP!" She tried to wrack her brains for any other rune she had that might stop the fire. Nothing came up. Then she remembered the Rune of Shenlong. "God _please,_ let this help!" She slapped it on the Skribal Sword and activated it. The sword pointed to the river and drew a line to the fire. A large stream of water flew through the air and dowsed some of the flames.

She began blasting away at the fire, trying to put it all out. But because of her blunder, it was proving difficult. The fire was spreading as fast as Cleo was fighting it, if not faster. She was beginning to think that this was a lost battle when all of the Drabokos suddenly appeared. With buckets in hand, they joined the fight, they were helping her out. With everyone working together, they were able to put an end to the forest fire. A third of the woods were burned to the ground, but the Village of Midnight Hollow and the Tree of Dusk was untouched.

Cleo looked a mess, covered in soot and sweat, with a few small burn marks on her costume. Once again, she was facing the entire village. Then the chief stepped forward, Cleo was dreading this, she was about to be punished for breaking her ban from the forest for sure. Unexpectedly, he fell on his hands and knees. At first she thought he was succumbing to the sickness that might still be lingering inside him, but a second later, she realized that he was actually bowing to her.

"...Thank you... ...thank you greatly for saving us... And... ...we are truly... very sorry... for the falseness of our actions." He looked up at her. "Can you find it in your heart to forgive us?"

Cleo smiled. "You helped me out when I couldn't handle the situation on my own, it's _you_ I have to thank. You don't have to apologize."

"Regardless of what happened before, you're welcome at Midnight Hollow." Many other Drabokos gave a subtle bow to her.

"Ahoy Cleo!" She looked up at the top of a cliff where Scervo stood. "Ya better come up smartly lass! There's something ya need ter see!"

Cleo looked at Jack. "What is it, this time?" he asked a little tiredly. They quickly went back up on the cliff and followed the pirate to where they could see a new area below.

"Feast yer eyes on this!" Scervo pointed with his hook and Cleo gaped at what she saw. There was _another_ Mirror of Twilight, opened and surrounded by the giant insects. Then a beetle was spat out of the mirror. It stood up and joined its fellows.

"So _that's_ where they're coming from! I knew they couldn't be from the Twilight Realm!"

"But that portal... Where does that portal lead?" asked Jack.

"I doubt it goes to Hyrule, there's no way they came from there. It's got to be some other world."

"I say we blast that mirror ter kingdom come!" Scervo suggested.

Cleo shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about! Only the true ruler of the Twilight Realm can utterly destroy it and that's Midna. But we don't have time to fetch her!"

"It is strange... I think I have seen this portal before... ...but I thought it was..." Jack trailed off.

"Are you alright, Jack?"

"... ...It is nothing... not important now."

"If ye be heading to the Blue Crater, ya gonna have to get past them."

"How, Scervo? I can't fight that many!" Cleo complained.

"Ya don't have ter. Just let _me_ have the fun." And before she could even say a word, he had already jumped down... and crashed through the roof of a supply shack. Cleo stared on dubiously (along with the surprised bugs) as he charged out with a "YAAARRR!". "Come and get me ye devil spawned weevils!" He ran off and most of the army began their chase.

"Let's go!" Both Cleo and Jack slid down a slope and ran toward the volcano (slashing down any bugs left in their way).


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 19

It took Finn _forever_ to get to the Arbiter's Grounds. The Oasis Flight was canceled due to the cannon being out of order, so he had to take the long way. It was worthwhile if he could rescue Cleo, he just hoped that he would never have to rock climb again as long as he lived. Then he stood before the Mirror of Twilight and let himself get pulled in. He felt a bit disoriented after breaking apart and reassembling on the other side.

"Oh man, I hope you're nearby sis..." He headed toward the palace. "You better not be doing anything dangerous." He ran inside the building, hurrying to the throne room. "Princess Midna!" He called out when he reached it, but there was no Midna on the throne. There was someone else. "What the-?"

A strange short old Twili was sitting in her place. He seemed surprised by Finn's sudden appearance. "Hm?... What's this? An unexpected guest?"

"Who the hell are you?!"

"I? I am Okam, the new King of Twilight."

"New Ki-Well, where's Midna?"

"Midna, unfortunately has retired and therefore placed me as her successor to the throne." Finn was flabbergasted by this news, leaving him speechless. "Now do you care to explain why you're barging into my palace, uninvited?"

It took a few seconds for Finn to get his voice working again and to remember what he came here for. "...Well... you see sir... I'm looking for my sister. Her name is Cleo Hayster."

"...Cleo?"

"Yeah, she's about yay high, blond hair, wears a green uniform."

"Mm... ...Never heard of her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important matters to deal with."

"Hey! Now wait a second! I don't know what's going on, but something just ain't right here! I need to talk to Midna right now!"

"Well, too bad, 'cuz you're not going to get an audience with Midna... ever. Now get lost before I lose my temper."

"Now look old man! I'm trying to find my sister!"

"Then you're just gonna have to look somewhere else." Finn heard a weird mechanical scuttling and he was unexpectedly grabbed by skinny stick legs. "Bye-bye!" Okam waved with a smug grin.

Finn was cursing non-stop as he was carried to the exit. Then he was lifted up. "Not agAAAAAAAIIIIIIN!" Finn was thrown out. He hit the ground hard and, groaning in pain, watched the doors slam shut. "The Hell?!" He got back up. "That Uka or whatever his name is... I don't think he's a king!" He rubbed his sore shoulder. "_Now_ what am I gonna do?"

"_Finn... Finn..._" Finn quickly looked around him, but there seemed to be no one here. "_Finn, can you hear me?_"

"Yeah... I'm definitely hearing things!"

"_Listen to me, Finn! I need your help, the Twilight Realm is in danger._"

"Wait, I know that voice! Midna, is that you? What's going on? Where's Cleo? How are you talkin-"

"_Will you slow down already?! There's not much time, so I'm going to be quick about it. First off, I'm trapped in a dungeon, with a seal that prevents me from teleporting out._"

"What?! That Okam guy said you're retired!"

"_That is a lie! Okam is the one who trapped me here. He has overthrown me and taken over the palace._"

"Oh great! That's just Zant all over again!"

"_But he can't fully take over the Twilight Realm until he's gathered the eight Essences of Light. Your sister Cleo has been searching for them to save this realm, but she doesn't yet know that she's being manipulated. Right now, she is searching for the last two on Okam's orders. You need to go and warn her! Tell her not to return to the palace, take your sister and the essences and leave the Twilight Realm!_"

"But what about you?"

"_...Just don't worry about me Finn. As the Twilight Princess, it's my responsibility to protect my people at all cost, even the cost of freedom._"

"But!... ... ...I'll go get Cleo outta here as planned, but I'll be back with help. I promise!"

"_...Thank you Finn..._"

* * *

Cleo and Jack were standing before the cave entrance of the volcano. She looked back, expecting to see someone coming, but no one was there. "I do not think Scervo will be coming with us, Cleo."

"But Jack, he-"

"Knows how to handle himself," Jack finished. "He is quite wily, I will admit. He reminds me of a friend of mine."

"He's cuckoo, that's what he is!" Cleo said rotating her hand next to her ear.

"Um... does that mean he has a clock in his head?"

Cleo gave him an exasperated look. "Oh, _really?_" She entered the cave with Jack closely following.

She quickly learned that the caverns were not a safe place to travel. It was horribly hot inside and she was already sweating. Jack warned her that she shouldn't be inside here for too long. But soon enough, she found water jugs and used Shenlong to drench herself. She had to keep herself hydrated if she was to make it to the end. There were rivers of lava and flaming bugs in her way. She would throw the jugs into the lava to create rocky platforms to hop across or ride along the river. Then she met some Subrosians who were working as blacksmiths. They told her that the big key to the crater was broken and a new one was yet to be made. Cleo decided to pitch in. They gave her the Rune of Pele that had the power to control lava. There was a cart that brought metal ores across a chasm and she had to shoot Sagittarius arrows at certain switches to guide the cart by a lava stream. Then she cast the lava onto the ores as the cart got close enough, trying not to miss (the cart moved pretty fast). The cart poured the molten metal into a mold and she splashed it with water to cool it. The Subrosian smiths did the rest. While they worked, she and Jack entered one huge room with stone heads facing different directions. She observed the directions each of the heads were looking, trying to make out a pattern. In the next room were empty channels in a complex grid and a cracked hole in the wall. After drawing the specific pattern from the heads with the Skribal Sword as a guide, she blew up the wall and let the lava flow into the channels. She used Pele to move the lava into certain parts of the channels so it would match the pattern and a big stairway revealed itself. It lead to a big door that needed the key so Cleo went back to get it, unlocked it and entered the very heart of the volcano.

The Blue Crater Volcano lived up to its name, the bottom of the crater in which the duo was standing was surrounded by a ring of glowing blue lava. And at the very center was Veran. "...I was wondering when you would show up Cleo..." The sorceress slowly turned around to face her, smiling her usual wicked smile. "So you managed to survive that angry mob." And then, as she spun on the spot, Veran turned into a Cleo double. "How many of those stupid lizards did you have to kill to get that last essence? Ten? Twenty?"

"SHUT UP!" Cleo drew her sword. "You've done enough damage already!"

Veran sneered at her. "It's _you_ who should hold your tongue." She changed back. "You think you're a hero? You're just a brat, a child that needed guidance from a ghost. A child who still believes in fairy tales where good triumphs over evil! It's all nothing but garbage really. It's time for you to face reality and grow up. Of course, the latter advice isn't going to be literal."

"You're right. I'm no hero... But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let monsters like you follow such a pointless cause!"

"Pointless? POINTLESS?!"

"Yes! Hurting people, showing no care for them, all just for yourself! It doesn't serve any purpose other than to show that you're weak!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Veran snarled.

"Who are you working for?" Cleo asked suddenly.

"...What are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid you know. You're not the mastermind behind this whole invasion. I saw the other portal where the bugs are coming from. They came from somewhere, you couldn't have just stumbled upon them. Someone provided you this army and helped you invade this realm!"

"So what! You think that little info matters?"

"That depends on who the real boss is. Now tell me the name!"

"I'll tell you... if you can defeat me. But to do that, you have to get past your own ally."

"Veran, I do not believe you can possess me," Jack pointed out.

"Not _you,_ you silly ball of flame... I meant the pirate, Scervo."

"WHAT?!" both Cleo and Jack exclaimed in shock.

Sure enough, with a snap of her fingers, Veran summoned the robot buccaneer with her magic. He appeared to be offline, just sitting there like a forlorn doll forever waiting for someone to pick it up off a dusty shelf. "NO! DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!" Cleo spat.

Veran cackled and dissolved into a dark mist, enveloping Scervo and fusing into him. He stood up and drew his sword. "Soon we will see how truly heroic you are when you're forced to kill your _bucko!_"

**Sorceress of Shadows:**  
**Veran**

Cleo wasn't sure what to do. Veran was attacking her with the electric blade and all Cleo could do was run, not wanting to hurt Scervo. "You can't run forever. Either this pirate dies, or you die!"

"You coward!" Jack scowled. Cleo was backed into a corner and almost fell into the blue lava. She tried to block with her shield when Veran advanced, only to get electrocuted. She fell to her knees, now vulnerable and the sorceress was about to strike her into the lava. "NO!" Jack went between Cleo and Veran and there was once again a flash of light with the outline of a man carrying a sword appearing briefly, ready to counter.

Veran was flown back. "!?...You-? How did you...?!" She shook her head. "I'm beginning to see why he wanted you dead. It seems I cannot take any chances with either of you this time." She raised her arms and large metal ores broke out of the walls. They orbited Scervo's body and then began bending and twisting into flat plates. They completely covered the robot body, forming into armor.

"Cleo, I think I know what to do now. I have heard tales of floating spirits being able to possess people. I am one, so I may be able to."

"You mean you can save Scervo?" Cleo asked.

"I am sure of it. But I am sensing some sort of magic barrier surrounding the armor. We may have to break through it first. Are you ready for this?"

Cleo smiled in encouragement and nodded. This was going to turn out easier than she'd thought.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 20

Veran summoned a ring of fire from her hands and Cleo dodged it, rushing in to strike. Cleo struck repeatedly, pushing her opponent back. Veran leapt away from the edge. Cleo needed to get her close enough to the lava but not too close. She pushed her back again and then used Pele to shoot a stream of lava on the armor. The metal plates melted. In her anger, Veran used her magic to cause a quake and large rocks rained down. Cleo ran out of the way, waiting it out for another chance to strike. She repeated her strategy a few more times until all the armor was gone. Veran was now exposed. The sorceress leapt at her, but Cleo dodged and countered, disarming the electric sword. Cleo got the sword before Veran could and stunned her with it.

"Jack, now's your chance!" The lost spirit made his move an zipped into Scervo.

From within, Veran was now face to face with a man in white robes. "Wha-?! Who are you?!" The man didn't answer, he withdrew a slim blade and charged in. With mach speed swings, he slashed away at her. She screamed in pain and retreated. Dark mist escaped Scervo's body, reforming into herself. "No! That... that's not possible! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Cleo didn't hesitate, she ran at Veran with a scream of rage. Veran teleported away from Cleo's attacks and reformed ten feet away from her. Cleo then stood between her and Scervo to shield him. The Twili witch glared at Cleo with burning hatred. "You little pest! I am going to bring down this entire mountain! You will not leave here alive!"

Veran raised her arms and another quake started, steadily getting more and more violent. Cleo lost her balance and toppled to the ground, looking up to see cracks forming on the walls through which she could see a fiery glow. Any second, the entire crater would blow. This was it... it was all over. Cleo threw her arms over her head and braced herself for the blast.

Then suddenly, unexpectedly, a voice called out. A voice that was louder and more terrifying than the rumbling earthquake... "_**VERAN... ENOUGH!**_" The voice was acidly demonic, echoing throughout the rocky chamber.

The quake instantly stopped. Veran looked up in shock and, quite possibly, fear. "M-master!? Master, what is it?"

"_**LEAVE THE CHILD BE... GIVE HER WHAT SHE CAME FOR!**_"

"What?! But master-"

"_**DO NOT QUESTION ME, SORCERESS!**_" Veran flinched, she looked terrified.

"That-that voice... I _know_ that voice..." Jack whispered in a tone of fear. Cleo looked at him and opened her mouth, but decided not to ask about this now. She also found the voice familiar, she was sure she'd heard it somewhere.

"_**YOU HAVE FAILED ME VERAN AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE FAILURE! GIVE CLEO HAYSTER THE LAST ESSENCE OF LIGHT AND RETURN TO ME AT ONCE!**_"

Veran again looked at Cleo. She was undoubtedly reluctant to obey. "This isn't over... I'll have you know." She held her hand up and a black orb ringed with a white light appeared. She cast it over to her and then vanished. The orb floated to Cleo and landed in her hands.

_She got the Eclipse Ring. The moon blocks the sun to form a ring of fire and revive the lost with its burning embers so life begins anew!_

* * *

_...No... no! This time portal... I feel darkness from within this time portal!_

_FOOOOL! THAT IS NO TIME PORTAL, IT IS A GATEWAY TO THE SHADOW WORLD WHERE ALL WHO ENTER WILL BE LOST FOREVER! YOU HAVE BEEN TRICKED!_

_I-I cannot move!... What is happening?!_

_YOU ARE BEING PULLED IN! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE! FINALLY, I WILL BE RID OF YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!_

_You have not won villain!_

_WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!_

_If I am to be trapped forever, I am taking you with me!_

_LET GO YOU IDIOT! NO NOOOO!_

_..._

_..._

_...I... I feel... ...strange... ...empty... oh... ... ..._

_IT SEEMS I HAVE THE LAST LAUGH AFTER ALL! YOU FADE AWAY WHILE I REMAIN IN THIS DARK REALM! AND NOW, THANKS TO YOU, I HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW WORLD TO ENSLAVE! GOODBYE... ...SAMURAI JACK! **HAAA HAA HA HA HA HA AH AH**** AH!**_

* * *

"Jack... Jack!... Jack!"

The lost spirit seemed to be coming around. He had dimmed and fallen to the ground again, but now he was reigniting. "Uh... Cleo... I... remember... everything now... All of my memories have returned..." He suddenly gasped out. "Cleo, that voice! There is something I need to tell you-"

"Jack, I don't mean to interrupt. I know it's something important, but Scervo's still unconscious. We need to get him out of the volcano."

"...You are right... This will have to wait..."

Scervo's hand twitched a bit, then his arm began to move and push against the ground, lifting up his body. He raised his head and his optics lit up. "PffffffffffWha-wha-wha-what the blazes happened?" he wondered out loud after a static hiss.

"You were possessed by Veran," Jack answered.

"Blast it a-a-a-a-a-all! Pff pff! That wench messed with me mi-mind! I still can't fully-fully-fully process yet."

"Man, you're out of it!" Cleo said with concern. "C'mon, get your arm around me."

She lifted him up onto his feet. "Than-**k ye,**" he said, his voice deeper for a second.

"Looks like we're even now..." Cleo now knew for sure that it was Scervo who saved her from the fall at the Tempis Mine. She suddenly thought of something. "You know that seed you gave me? I think I know the perfect place for it."

* * *

They all traveled back to Midnight Hollow, by the time they arrived, Scervo's circuitry was restored. Cleo then asked the chief to plant the seed in his forest and he showed her a soft patch for her to bury it. "We will take good care of the plant," he promised.

Cleo smiled. She looked at her companion. "Jack, I have this one question I wanted to ask you, but not until I was sure you had all of your memories... Are you a samurai?"

"...Yes... I am. So you have heard of me."

"I knew it! You _are_ Samurai Jack!..." She was excited for only a moment, but then she turned serious. "Which means... that voice-"

"CLEO!" She very nearly jumped from that shout. She instantly knew who it came from but couldn't believe it. She turned around her mouth agape and saw Finn running toward her. "CLEO, THANK GOD!" He practically slammed into her and then lifted her up in a tight hug, spinning her about. "I found you, I found you!"

"Finn! What in the-!" They both fell over, laughing like they'd never laughed before. "I can't believe you're here! How is the Twilight Realm not affecting you?"

"Zelda. She gave me her Triforce of Wisdom." He showed her the mark on his hand. She looked astonished. "C'mon sis, I'm getting you outta here. We need to leave this realm." They both got up and he tried to take her by the hand, but Cleo pulled away.

"Wait, I can't." Finn looked back at her. "You probably don't know what's going on, but Midna-"

"I _do_ know what's going on. Midna brought me up to speed."

"Speed? Is there some kind of race?"

Finn stared at the lost spirit. "Who's this?"

"Finn, this is my partner. You're not gonna believe this, but he's actually Samurai Jack!"

Now he was staring at Cleo in disbelief. "No way!"

"Yes way."

"How the hell did Samurai Jack end up..." He sighed. "Never mind. Listen, Midna told me the mission's cancelled!"

"Wha-why?"

"Because that Okam guy is totally nuts! He kicked her off the throne and is sitting his ass there!"

"It seems your suspicions were right Cleo. Okam _is_ a traitor," said Jack.

"What about Midna? Where is she, Finn?"

"She's in jail!" Cleo felt as though the volcano was erupting again from inside her body. Her anger set off faster and higher than a rocket. Finn was looking uneasy. "Cleo, I know what you're thinking! Please don't! We need a plan."

"The only plan right now is to help Midna!"

"She said don't come!"

"I'm not gonna leave the Twilight Realm or Midna, even if she says so!" Her brother actually flinched at her outburst. "I know what Okam wants, the essences. But I won't have all of them with me, just the Moon Pearl." Cleo brought out seven of the eight essences. "Here Finn, hold these for me. I'm gonna go confront Okam!"

"But I just got you back! Cleo!"

"Don't follow me, keep them safe until I get back! C'mon Jack. We gotta go!"

"Of course! It was nice meeting you Cleo's brother, Finn." Cleo and Jack took off.

Finn was now standing there with an armful of magic relics. "ARE YOU FRICKEN KIDDING ME?! Sonnafa-godblessamerica! She's _always_ running off, doing God knows what!"

"Ya'd better go after her, Sonny Jim." Finn turned toward the pirate. "As a robot, I rely on logic. But there be rare occasions where I must rely on instincts instead. And right now, it's telling me that the company of her spirit mate may not be enough ter help her."

"Waddaya mean?"

"I don't know what it is... But I have a feeling that something very beastly awaits her, methinks. I don't have the strength ter aid her, so it has ter be ye, lad."

"But Cleo told me to keep these safe."

"Then give them ter me so ya can help yer dear sister." Normally Finn wouldn't give something valuable to a pirate, but he knew it was better they were in the hands of a pirate than a madman. He nodded.

* * *

Cleo hurried back to the Palace of Twilight as fast as she could. She stopped short in front of an entire army of insects blocking her path in the castle town. She quickly drew the Skribal Sword, getting ready for a fight... but nothing was happening. She looked confused. "They're not attacking."

"I do not think they are ordered to. They may be willing to let us pass..."

She cautiously walked forward and the beetles actually stepped aside, so she went by them without a fight. Cleo found this unnerving. What if... but she couldn't bring herself to think of who might be waiting for her. She felt scared...

After a silent, heart-pounding tread into the palace and into the throne room, she felt a tad relieved to see that the one who was waiting was Okam.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Samurai Jack and the yet-to-be-revealed villain (who I'm sure you've figured out by now if you watched Samurai Jack) do not belong to me. Genndy Tartakovsky is the rightful owner.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 21

Okam was giving Cleo a very disconcertingly pleasant smile. "So you're back... Good, I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't return. You certainly took your sweet time... But no matter... I trust that you collected the last two Essences of Light?"

"Yeah, I did... but I don't have them. In fact, I didn't bother to bring any of the essences."

Okam wasn't pleased. "You _don't_ have the essences? Why?"

"Because I'll only give them to someone I can trust. The Twilight Princess. So where's Midna?" Okam didn't answer. "_Where_ is she?!" she demanded.

"As of now, Midna is no longer the Twilight Princess." Cleo pulled out her sword in a quick flash. "Now _really,_ do you intend to challenge me?" he laughed. The laugh sounded familiar. "Tell you what, I'll give you an open shot. I'll even expose my back." Okam turned around, Cleo glared at him. "Well go on, this is your perfect chance. You know you have to kill me if you are ever to save Midna or the Twilight Realm. So what are you waiting for?" Cleo's sword hand shook, her knuckles white. "What's the matter? Can't attack an old man while he's vulnerable?" Cleo still didn't move. "Tell me... besides a few bugs... have you _ever_ killed _anyone?_" he asked in morbid curiosity. She could see a mocking smirk forming on his lips.

Then, with an angry cry, she finally charged at him, sword raised, about to strike him down... she stopped... the blade just an inch from his head... she fell to her knees. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill him. "Cleo..." Jack started, but he was at a loss of what to say to her.

Then they heard rushing footsteps and, before Cleo could react, someone else came, grabbed the Skribal Sword right out of her hand, and ran Okam through. "At least _I'm_ not afraid to do what it takes, bastard."

"Finn?!... You... you..." Cleo stared wide-eyed at her brother and then at Okam, whose shocked look became frozen... and then he fell on the floor. "Finn, you've never killed anyone either!"

"I know... I-I gotta protect you, somehow." His voice was shaking. He had been dreading that action too. "Someone's gotta do it."

"I know it was not easy... you did the right thing for your sister."

"Thanks Jack."

"Where are the essences?" Cleo asked.

"I gave them to that pirate, Scervo. They're safe with him."

"Are they?..." Both Finn and Cleo slowly turned to Okam's limp form. The old Twili lifted his head and his eyes lit up. As though walloped by a giant invisible hammer, a shockwave sent the whole team flying. They crashed on the walls and floor, and when they tried to get back up, they saw Okam standing once again, with the sword still stuck through his body, grinning like a madman. "Thanks for the info, fool!" He pulled out the Skribal Sword. "You won't be needing this anymore." He held each end in a tight grip and, in a horrifying instant, snapped it in two. Cleo felt numb as she watched the two broken pieces clatter to the floor.

"H-how... What the hell are you?!" Finn moaned.

"I am the _true_ king of the Twilight Realm. The master and ruler of all!"

"It was you..." Cleo gasped. Okam turned his intimidating gaze on her. "It was _your_ voice at the volcano! You're not a Twili at all! You're... you're..."

"... ...Aku!" Jack finished.

"WHAT?!" Finn burst out in a higher voice.

Okam threw back his head and let out the terrible cackle Cleo knew was Aku's. "Finally caught on, have you?"

"How did you get here in the first place?" she interrogated the Twili pretender.

"It was chance really. I actually would never have discovered the Twilight Realm if it weren't for the samurai and his fruitless quest to return to his own time in the past."

"That's a total lie!" Finn assumed.

"Oh really? Well why don't you ask him? He'll tell you, if he has got his memories back, that is."

Cleo looked at Jack. "Is it true?... _You_ brought him here?"

There was a sigh of defeat from the lost spirit. "Yes... what he says is true..."

"And I thank you, samurai. Because of you, I will take over this Realm of Shadows as soon as I have all of the Essences of Light... starting with the one still sustaining Cleo's existence here."

Finn quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed Cleo's hand. "C'mon, let's go! We're _way_ outclassed here!" Finn tried to drag her out of the room, but Okam (his eyes glowing again) raised his hand and the teen's body was lifted in the air, shaken wildly and tossed like a ragdoll into a corner.

"FINN!" Cleo ran to her brother and crouched next to him.

Finn couldn't get up. "Cleo run, RUN!"

"I'm not leaving you Finn!"

"Cleo, look out!" she heard Jack cry. She turned around and saw a massive black shadow slithering over the walls and floor, heading right toward them. Should she move out of the way, it would be Finn who would suffer. She used the only equipment she had left and held her shield steady, braced for the impact as the shadow fast approached.

What happened next, she could barely remember any of it. All she remembered was pain, pain in every part of her body as if from blunt hits, sharp stabs, and tight twisting of limbs. All else was blackness. She screamed out in agony...

She was lying on the ground, bruised, battered, and lightly bloodied. Okam stood over her with a look of triumph. "No matter your bravery and your stubbornness... you never stood a chance against the almighty Aku!" Jack was approaching to her aid when Okam smacked him away. "You will do nothing for her now, samurai!" Both Cleo's body and breath were shuddering. "Do not worry for your life. You won't die... you'll be worse off." He used his telekinesis, to unzip her backpack and remove the Moon Pearl.

"NOO! NOO!" Finn hollered. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" He still couldn't get up, all he could do was watch as his sister began to fade.

"Say goodbye to your sister!" Okam mocked. Cleo's turning to a lost spirit was almost complete when Jack saw an opening while Okam was turned away toward Finn. Jack zipped in and collided with his fading friend. There was a sudden blast of light, knocking the momentarily blind villain back. The next second the light and Cleo and Jack were gone completely. Okam rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. He stared. "Where... ...where did they go?!"

* * *

_She was falling... falling... falling... Memories were fading... She no longer knew anything... All was nothing to her... she felt lost... alone... ...Then she heard a voice... calling her name... She looked up and saw someone falling with her... But all she could see was his silhouette... A man in robes was coming closer... reaching out his hand to her..._

... ... ...Cleo opened her heavy eyelids. The first thing she saw was an arctic blue sky. She was lying on the ground still, but she was no longer in pain. She rolled over on her hands and knees to get herself up and the second thing she saw was what she had been lying on. It was a glowing spell circle, but it was different than the ones she had used in the past, the one she was on was in the shape of a flower surrounded by ancient Hylian text. She stood up without difficulty and looked around.

The place was familiar, a town looking a _lot_ like the Twilight Castle Town where she had used the various warps... in fact it looked _exactly_ like that town. Then she realized it _is_ the same town. Yet there were noticeable differences. Once, it was bathed in a twilight that was alien in nature, now it was covered in a calm peaceful blue atmosphere like that of an early dawn. Dotted around the area were suits of white armor with three-eyed masks.

"What happened here?..." She looked at herself. Her body was no longer damaged in any way and was edged with what appeared to be reflected light from water. And she noticed her backpack was missing. "Is this what it's like to be a lost spirit?" Cleo looked around some more. "Where's Jack? Shouldn't he be here too?" But there was no visible sign of him, in spirit or human form. "JACK?... JAAACK!... ...FINN?... ... ...IS ANYONE HERE?"

"... ... ...Cleo... Hayster," answered a new voice. She gave a faint gasp, her heart pounding. It was soft and gentle yet booming and powerful, a voice that seemed to belong to a divine being.

"W-who are you?"

"You will know soon enough... What you see before you is not the Twilight Realm, but a mirrored dimension where only the spirit can enter... the Silent Realm..."

"So I'm a lost spirit now?"

"Not quite..."

"But... how-"

"You have a friend to thank... because of his fearless actions to save you Cleo, you have been spared from a terrible fate."

"I still don't understand. What happened to Jack?"

"He is within you. His spirit has become a part of you now."

Cleo's eyes widened. "Jack is... inside me?"

"Yes... and he will remain so until you can pass the trial."

"Trial? What trial?"

"If you are to return to the Twilight Realm, you must gain spiritual growth. To complete the trial set before you, fill your Spirit Vessel by collecting Sacred Tears. I shall be guiding you." Then a soft glow came out of her chest and took on the form of a white flower with fifteen berries on its long stem. It looked a lot like the Vessel of Light. "Be warned, the Guardians will try to stop you and you will be unarmed. Once you step outside the circle, they will awaken and give chase."

"What happens if they catch me?"

"... ... ...It would be best that you should never know."

Cleo gulped. "Oh great... Well... ...I guess I'd better get this over with." Just as the mysterious voice had said, Cleo barely touched her toe on the outside of the circle when the whole atmosphere rapidly changed from a cool blue to a fiery orange, all the petals on her flower fell off. The white guardians' eyes lit up, they all turned toward her. "Uh oh... This isn't good!" She bolted and already felt them in hot pursuit.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 22

Cleo saw the first tear and ran as fast as she could toward it while trying to get away from the guardians all around her. Her racing mind was wondering if she was to spend every second of this trial on edge like this. Then she grabbed the tear and it flew from her hand to one of the berries on her flower and the petals grew back. In an instant, everything was completely calm again. She looked around her and saw the guardians resting on the very same spots they were before, as though they had never left.

"The petals on your Spirit Vessel will keep the Guardians at bay, but one will fall every ten seconds. When all the petals fall off, the Guardians will reawaken. Every time you collect a tear, all the petals are restored."

Cleo's heart was still pounding. "Man," she panted. "I'm way out of my comfort zone here!" She examined her vessel closely. There were nine petals... one falls every ten seconds. That meant she'd have a minute and a half to find each tear. She recounted the berries, there were fourteen more tears to get.

She started her hunt for them. It wasn't very hard, she found some light fruit that summoned beams of light on the horizon, pointing straight up into the sky, which acted like beacons, leading her to the tears. Cleo found four more tears (five total) around the town before seeing more guardians that were still awake. They reminded her of poes, floating around in the air and carrying lanterns.

"Avoid the Watchers. Should you get caught in their light, they will call forth the Guardians."

"Figures... shoulda known time's not the only thing against me." Cleo observed their movements carefully and tread her way past them. She had two petals left when she grabbed another tear (six). "That was close." Then she heard a jingling sound and saw a watcher, closer to the ground, heading her way. "Whoa!" She started backing away as it came closer with the dim outer light radius illuminating her. Then she ran and it began to follow her. "I ain't your buddy, go away!"

She tripped and fell. Before she could get up, the bright direct light hit her and there was a raspy screech. Everything turned orange again. Cleo jumped to her feet and continued running to the next closest tear. She narrowly avoided one of the guardians and grabbed it (seven).

"God, this is going to the dogs, here!" Cleo could just imagine hearing Jack say "what dogs? I do not see any". She wished he were here with her (outside of her of course), he would've definitely lightened the mood without even trying.

She had gone ahead and collected three more tears (ten). The whole atmosphere was orange for a second before grabbing that last one, restoring calm. She knew that the less tears there were, the harder it was going to be to find them.

Then Cleo came to some large puddles down the deeper alleys. They appeared to be liquid metal. "Do not touch the water, for it is Waking Water," warned the voice.

"Right, got it!"

Because the alleys were so narrow, it was difficult to avoid stepping in the water. She climbed over crates, sidled against the wall and, one time, made a risky jump over a large puddle. Cleo got three more tears (thirteen) and the next one was on an awning, out of reach. Nearby was a crate surrounded by Waking Water. The water rose and fell like the tide, up until it almost overflowed the top, then down until it completely seeped into the ground, then up again. Cleo had to wait it out, then push the crate. She could only shove it a foot or so before she was forced to back away and wait again. After the tedious chore, she climbed on top before the water came back.

Cleo reached over the awning and got the tear (fourteen). Her wail wobbled with her body when she lost her balance. She threw out her hands and they hit the wall, stopping her from a dreadful splash, her toes clinging onto the crate. She watched, sweating, for the water to disappear. She dropped down on the ground and ran off.

After a full frustrating minute and a half of searching, she finally found the last tear right in front of a robed guardian, just as it woke up. It pulled out its blades but didn't come after her. It seemed to be waiting for Cleo to move, like it was daring her to get the tear from it. "So that's how it's gonna be is it?" she asked.

They stared each other down like two gunmen waiting for high noon... She needed to be fast... if she didn't make it... ... ...Cleo shot forward and the guardian began to bear down upon her... ...It swung down its blades... about to make a hit... ... ...

... ... ...Cleo looked up and could see the guardian back on his post. She had done it, she got all fifteen Sacred Tears.

"Well done Cleo... now return to the Trial Gate."

"Finally!" Cleo looked at the still guardian and pulled a few funny faces at it. Laughing, she turned around... and stepped into a tiny, unnoticeable, puddle. Everything went to hell again. "CRAP!" Not bothering to look back, she used every last ounce of energy to run all the way to the gateway. It was like being in a nightmare, being chased by virtually invincible enemies, with a wavering shadow getting closer and closer to her with every step. The guardians were catching up to her, swarming her. She was ten feet from her exit, and they were half as close. She executed a mighty leap...

...She made it.

The fifteen berries glowed and the tears shot out of them into the flower. It closed up into a bud and swelled in size. When it rebloomed, a bright light emerged and took the shape of the two pieces of the Skribal Sword. Then another flash of light...

Cleo suddenly found herself back inside the throne room, but she didn't seem to be entirely back. She could see she was still in the Silent Realm. She looked at the throne and gave out a startled gasp. There was one more guardian sitting there, awake and looking right at her, but there was something different about it. It stood up. "... ... ...I have been hoping to meet you face to face, Cleo Hayster..."

Cleo was stunned. "You? _You're_ one of the guardians?"

"I am not just a Guardian, child. Once, I was a Dark Interloper and... ...the first Twilight King..." He reached up to his mask and slowly took it off. He had a painted, red and blue face and mis-matched eyes (green and red) with yellow scleras.

"...Oni..."

"You may not have realized it, but I have been watching you, ever since you were able to wield this magic blade. For a long time, I have waited for someone who would be truly worthy of it. But the Skribal Sword cannot accept anyone who is any less worthy than myself. Since the birth of the Twilight Realm, no one was noble enough to be accepted by this weapon... until now."

Cleo remembered back when Scervo took it from her, it rejected him. It would only accept Cleo, because it saw her as someone as worthy as Oni himself? This was overwhelmingly mind numbing. "Sir I..." she looked down. "I'm not-I mean... You think I'm your equal?"

"Do you not think you are?"

"No..."

Oni chuckled. "I will be honest with you. I did not think that the one who would one day wield the Skribal Sword would be the same little girl I saw just a month ago. But I knew you were special when I watched you destroy the Majora's Mask. And now our paths have crossed again, this time with a greater purpose."

"Oni, why were you waiting for someone to wield the Skribal Sword? Where did it come from?"

"That sword... came from me. I created it, modeled it from my own sword. And the reason I was waiting for someone like you was because the one who claims it will be the one who will save the Twilight Realm."

"Save it? From what, Aku?"

"No, from condemnation. Only the wielder of the Skribal Sword can find the eight essences and use their power to lead my people along the path of redemption. It will be through you that all the shadow people will be truly purged of their ancestors's past sins."

"Yeah, well that path that has now obviously been given to me was all fine and dandy at first... Except there's one problem. I was also manipulated by that melanic freak of nature. And I can't even kill him with this sword. I mean, look at it."

"Yes, about Aku. He does pose a terrible threat, and I doubt he will stop there. After the Twilight Realm, more than likely, he will reach Hyrule and try to claim it next."

"He just doesn't know when to stop!" Cleo growled.

"There is still a way you can stop him, Cleo. The Skribal Sword, if you please." Cleo held the broken sword out and it floated over to him. "Not only shall I reforge the blade for you... its powers will be given one more expansion." The two pieces placed themselves together and Oni summoned a hammer. He slammed it down on the broken blade repeatedly until it was whole again. "Now for the final touch." He pulled out his own sword. "My sword has the blessings of the gods." In a flash, it turned into a rune. "With this, the Skribal Sword will have the same blessing. Do not equip it until you are ready to face Aku." He took Cleo's hand and gave her the Rune of Oni.

"...Thanks Oni."

"The sword alone will not be enough to defeat Aku. You still need Jack to guide you... Continue listening to him... he will be rejoining you shortly."

"I will."

Oni smiled. "I am counting on you." Cleo felt herself dissolving away from the Silent Realm.

Cleo opened her eyes and found herself on the floor. She got up and looked around. She was still in the throne room, but it had changed. There was a major remodel to the throne to resemble flames. Aku must've done this. "We are back, Cleo." She looked up and smiled. Floating before her was Jack. "I am glad to know that you have made it through in one piece."

"I wouldn't have made it without you. And Jack, we actually have another shot at beating Aku."

"Yes, I know. While I was inside your mind, I saw and heard everything you did in the Silent Realm."

"So I don't need to fill you in?"

"Well, literally, you cannot fill someone that is not all there... But I _do_ know what you mean." Cleo giggled at that. "Aku is powerful. It will not be easy to defeat him. Do you think-no. Do you _know_ you are ready to face him?"

"Yes! This time yes! But first things first, I need to help Finn and Midna. And Scervo too, he might be in trouble."


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 23

In many barless cells, there were Twilis, Geozolas, Mortrams, and many others imprisoned. Finn and Midna were sharing a cell together. Finn was sitting, slumped over very low, silent and unmoving. Midna had given up trying to comfort him, nothing she said would bring him out of his depression, even when she said that he was not to blame for what happened.

She gazed at him again and he still didn't move or talk. She looked outside the cell and her eyes widened in astonishment. "Finn! Look, it's Cleo!"

Cleo was standing in the dungeon hall, her smile growing into a big grin. "I found you!"

Finn suddenly snapped his head up and looked at Cleo. "Sis?! I'm not hallucinating right?"

"No you're not Finn, I'm here. I'm back!"

"Cleo! Oh my God!" He shot up off the seat and ran to her. "You're here! I can't believe you're ba-" ZAP! Finn was thrown back by the invisible force field imprisoning them. "...I forgot that wall's there..."

"I'll get you out." Cleo placed a hand on a glowing circle next to the cell and the field appeared briefly before melting away. Finn got up, waved his hand across like a blind man, to make sure it was gone, and then went over to hug his sister.

"Cleo, these people need help," Jack said.

"I know. Finn, Midna, I need you to evacuate everyone here. Jack and I are going to find Scervo."

"Cleo-" Finn started to say.

"Don't argue with me! These people need your help."

"Sis... ...I was about to say where Scervo is. He asked me to tell you he's going to bring the essences to a place called the Altar of Dawn and he'll be waiting for you there."

"The Altar of Dawn?"

"Yes, that's the place where all eight must be gathered in order to use their powers at their highest peak," Midna explained. "That's what the ancient scroll said. Scervo must be expecting you to come with the Moon Pearl and complete the gathering."

"But Okam-I mean Aku has the pearl and now knows Scervo has the rest," Cleo explained.

"I know... Finn told me."

"And no one can hide from Aku for long," Jack added. "We need to hurry to the altar."

"Cleo..." Finn started again.

"Finn... This path I'm taking, this whole mission, is _my_ decision. Not yours, not Midna's, no one else's, _mine..._ I could have chosen to abandon it, but I didn't. Oni himself set this path for me, along with the Skribal Sword, the moment I made this decision. He knows I can do it... And I do too..."

"Jack... do you feel the same about Cleo?" Midna asked.

"Yes, I do. Cleo has become truly strong and selfless. Since I am unable to destroy Aku, it is up to her now."

"You've been taking care of my sister for me all this time," Finn replied. "Thank you so very much, Jack. Please continue to look after her."

"On my honor, Finn."

"We can't keep these people waiting Finn," Midna urged. Finn finally pulled away and went to rescue the captives. The Twilight Princess hung back. "Cleo, Jack, there is a warp at the very back of the palace that will take you to the Altar of Dawn. Go, hurry!" Cleo nodded and she and Jack left the dungeon.

They ran through the halls, dodging the insects, until they reached the warp and stepped onto it. They teleported to a small floating island. There was a large bridge connecting to a far larger island holding a massive round temple with eight spires. As she started to cross the bridge, Cleo heard a voice, so much like Midna's, shout out "This is as far as you go, Cleo!" Then black particles appeared and bunched together into the solid form of Veran.

"Aw man! I knew I'd run into you, again!"

"I don't know how you're still here in the Twilight Realm without any of the essences protecting you, but once I'm through with you, you'll wish you'd stayed a lost spirit!"

"Get out of the way, _Maleficent!_"

"_Never!_ I am this close, _this close,_ to achieving power over all those pathetic lives! And I will not let a child put a stop to that! My master is making the final preparations as we speak, he has arranged everything from the start for me. Finally, my dark desires will become a reality!"

"You really don't get it do you?!" Cleo scoffed, shaking her head. "Aku doesn't give a damn about what _you_ want! He's using you, so he can have everything for himself and once he gets it, he'll toss you out like yesterday's garbage!"

"SILENCE, YOU BRAT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!"

"You need to listen Veran! Cleo speaks the truth. I have known Aku far longer than you have!" Jack shouted.

Veran never looked more angry or, as Cleo closely observed in her eyes, devastated. "... ... ...I've... I've gone too far... I will not back away from a child... I will prove my worth to Aku! I will have my revenge!"

_She's getting desperate,_ Cleo thought. _This has to stop!_

In a scream of rage, Veran began to transform, shedding her dress, her body forming an exoskeleton, sprouting antennae and crystal wings, her eyes becoming compound. Her wings buzzed as she lifted in the air. In her hands, she formed a shadow ball and tossed it to the ground. It split into four, each taking Cleo's shape. Cleo got the Skribal Sword ready and equipped the Rune of Anubis to counter the shadows. Her own shadows fought them off, both sides took each other out. Veran shot out rings of fire, Cleo blocked them with her shield. Veran swooped down, Cleo jumped aside and slashed at her as she passed. Veran shot a string of webbing at Cleo's leg and tried to pull her in, but the young heroine cut herself loose. Getting frustrated, Veran began shooting large stingers, Cleo tried to run out of the way, but was soon cut off. They were aimed around her, not at her! When she got trapped, her attacker swooped down again. Cleo spun around...

...Cleo fell. Toppled by the impact, a stinger dug into her shoulder... She cried out in pain. Veran cackled as she grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. "Your luck has run out! Now you will finally pay for your interference!"

Cleo lifted her head and looked Veran in the eye and, to the sorceress's slight confusion, gave a mischievous grin, one that was all too familiar. "You're right... I did interfere... by giving Cleo an opening," said a voice like Veran's coming from Cleo's lips. In an instant, Cleo's image was gone, to be replaced by the mini-formed Midna.

Veran knew what was about to happen the moment she saw her twin... and it was too late. She dropped her and fell... with the real Cleo standing behind her.

The villainess was on her knees, breathing heavily, clutching her wound, bleeding black blood. Cleo ran past her to Midna and crouched next to her. "Mid, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, the injury isn't serious." They heard Veran's breathing getting raspier and they saw her try to stand up. She staggered uncontrollably. "Veran, don't! You are making that wound worse! Stay down!"

"Be quiet!... Just be quiet!"

"Why sis?! Why did you ever end up like this?! What wrong has the family done, what have _I_ done? We are supposed to be _sisters_ for Oni's sake!"

Veran didn't answer, her eyes seemed to be on the verge of tears, though they were ones of bitterness and disappointment. She staggered again, dangerously close to the edge of the bridge. "Veran, careful! You will fall!" Jack shouted.

She could not keep her balance, she was so weak. Her foot missed a step and was about to topple over. She felt a hand grab her arm. Veran looked up at Cleo. "Hang on, I'll pull you back!"

And the girl was being true to her word. As she tried to pull her to safety, Veran stared at her for a moment with unexpected gratitude. "Cleo... thank you..." That peaceful expression was gone in a flash, replaced with a vengeful grin. She grabbed Cleo's other arm and was attempting to pull her off the bridge along with herself.

Cleo's mind was spinning, hearing Jack and Midna scream her name. She grasped the edge to keep from falling off, but the weight of Veran was causing her grip to weaken fast. Her hand slipped and for a wild, heart-stopping moment, she was falling. But someone grabbed her and the sudden stop caused Veran to lose _her_ grip. Cleo heard her scream as the sorceress fell into the abyss. Cleo was pulled up and saw that her rescuer was Finn.

They all looked down at the abyss. Veran was gone. Cleo glanced at Midna who looked stunned. She wanted to say something to comfort her, but couldn't find the words. "You have to go now, Cleo," Midna said without turning her gaze away. "You don't have much time now that she's wasted it for you."

"Mid..."

"Just forget about Veran, okay sis?" Finn urged her. "She's pretty much kicked the bucket."

There was a moment of dead silence. "Aren't you suppose to say 'what bucket?'" Cleo asked Jack.

"I think I know what it means this time... And he is right. We must finish this."

Cleo nodded. "I'm going now guys!"

Midna looked at Cleo. "...See you later..."

"Please be careful," said Finn. Cleo turned and ran to the door of the Altar of Dawn and entered.

The temple was the toughest she'd ever faced. The very first room had eight doors for her to choose. When she picked one and entered, it locked behind her. Then she had to go through a trial using the required runes and when she had gone up a floor, she was once again facing many doors, only one of the next eight was sealed. It was a rinse and repeat task, each door she chose led her to rooms that were a lot like the previous dungeons, with their puzzles harder than ever and a plethora of every insect enemy she fought. She only had to go through four of the eight doors before ending up on the top floor. Having earned the big key earlier, she unlocked the final door. Cleo stood in front of it for a moment and slowly reached out a hand and pushed. The big door opened with a deep, loud CRRREEEEEE... "Are you ready Cleo?" Jack asked.

A pause. "...yes." And she walked through straight-backed, shoulders level.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 24

Cleo and Jack were now on the wide, flat roof of the altar, surrounded by the eight spires. Standing in the very center was, to her great relief, a friendlier face. "Scervo!" she laughed. She ran to him. "I'm so glad to see y-" her words were stopped short when she saw Scervo closer and realized with a feeling like cold lead in all her organs that all was not well.

He was twitching forebodingly, his voice only static and sound spasms. And there was a black pike with chevron-shaped prongs sticking out of his chest. He was looking right back at her and she was sure he was trying to speak to her. The pike pulled back into his chest and he tumbled to the floor with a loud metallic clatter, revealing the perpetrator standing right behind him.

Okam gave a sinister chuckle. "Nothing but a piece of trash!" He waved his hand and Scervo was flung aside. He looked up at the mortally stunned and angered Cleo. He smiled. "I knew you'd come back... I had a gut feeling... I'm not the least bit surprised." He watched in amusement at her growing rage. "What's the matter? Did I break your friend? I'll admit, the pirate put up a tougher fight than I expected. But in the end, he relinquished the Essences of Light to me." He held out his hand and the essences appeared, floating above him. "All I have to do is place them on those spires and harness their power. Their magic will make me stronger, strong enough to finally take over the Twilight Realm..."

"But you are already powerful Aku! Why can you not take it over the same way you took over my homeland and so many other worlds?"

"Because, samurai, this realm is much different than the ones you and I are use to. Even though the strange effects of this world could not turn me into a lost spirit, it has indeed weakened me greatly. This realm was designed to be a prison for powerful beings of evil, a perfect and safe place for banishment. I'm not as strong as I once was. When I heard of this portal to such a realm, I thought to use it for my own evil purposes and remove you from existence. I did succeed, but I never thought you would make a last ditch effort to get rid of me as well. However, it still proved to be quite convenient.

"The accident turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I discovered a new civilization within the dimensional prison for me to conquer and expand my empire. But because of my weakened state, it proved to be almost impossible. It would be years, maybe decades before I could claim it. But not long after my arrival did I meet Veran with a lust for power, like myself, and some pretty valuable information. She told me the legend of the Essences of Light and how they are the ultimate source of power to the Twilight Ream. She admitted she didn't know their whereabouts, but knew that there was a scroll about them in the Palace of Twilight where her twin sister reigned as princess. Veran wanted the throne for herself and was willing to commit. We forged a partnership.

"With my power of shape-shifting I disguised myself as a poor old Twili and made my carefully crafted approach as a homeless man to Midna. With my forged sob-story, she took me in with sympathy and I used every ounce of psychology and charm to earn her trust and take my place as her adviser. Once I got the job, I headed to the royal library to look for the scroll. It took a few days because it was so enormous, but it was worth it. I would smuggle the information to Veran and provide to her my army of robot insects so she could find the essences. When the invasion started, Midna turned to me for help. To hold on to her trust, I showed her the scroll with the essences and had to obey her order to find them while accompanied by her own army. The Moon Pearl was the closest, so I aimed for it. Once I was away and alone with some of her guards, I killed them. I thought to get this one essence myself quickly, but there was one little thing I did not account for... The child."

Cleo listened carefully to the whole story and thought back to how she got here. She remembered being pulled in by a black shadow and saw a tall black being through blurred vision but could not figure out who it was. But now she knew.

"Not knowing you had the pearl, I wasn't sure at first what to do with you. Thinking you might be useful somehow, I took you back to the palace. And it turned out I was right, you have proven yourself useful after all, much more dependable than Veran. Not that she wasn't already disposable!"

"I've heard enough!" Cleo got the Skribal Sword ready. "You've harmed too many innocent people, _and_ you killed my friend! This time I will _not_ hold back! I _will_ kill you! You're not human, you're not a Twili, you're not _anything_ living and breathing! You're an abomination and it's ABOUT TIME YOU HAD YOUR ASS HANDED TO YOU!"

Okam laughed. "Your threats will get you nowhere, child. I can see you reforged the Skribal Sword, but it doesn't mean you can still harm me!"

"Wanna bet!" Cleo slapped on the Rune of Oni, transforming the sword into the more legendary entwined blade of Oni himself. "You haven't learned a thing, Aku! When people do evil deeds, good will do everything it can to bite them in the butt! _Especially_ if good gains aid from a Fierce Deity!"

Okam gave her the most intense stare, ever. One to rival hers. "It is a shame. You could have been great as my henchman. You were so dependable, so useful... I really am thankful to you for what you did. Too bad you're too much of a do-gooder to know any better. You are every bit like the samurai... just as foolish. I think it is time I shed this form... so you can gaze upon the true almighty form of Aku before you die!"

Then Okam's body began to melt, slowly becoming an oozing liquid until it was a black puddle with sneering eyeballs. Flames ignited above those eyes, one after the other. Cleo felt a strange coldness filling the air, as though coming from a dark underground pit. Then the black mass shot up insanely fast, towering over her. It took a new angular shape, grew rows of chevron horns, a green face like that of Asian mythological monsters appeared, complete with curved fangs, and finally a flaming beard sprouted to go with his eyebrows. He looked down at her and, raising his clawed hands, let out a booming cackle.

**Shapeshifting Master of Darkness:**  
**Aku**

"Cleo," said Jack. "This will be the toughest fight you have had yet. The timing of your moves will be very difficult. It will require sharp reflexes and reaction time, so listen very carefully to everything I say. This is our chance to finally destroy Aku. Get ready." Cleo nodded to him.

Aku shot lasers from his eyes and Cleo reflected them with the Skribal Sword. She aimed them back at his face, stunning him, then charged forward to slash away at him. His black body burned away from the cuts she left and he howled in pain. Aku sprouted bat wings and took flight. Hovering above, he summoned a fireball and threw it at Cleo. She swung her sword to bounce it back, and the opponents ended up volleying it back and forth until she could get a hit. Stunned again, he fell to the ground, leaving her an opening for an attack. He turned into a shapeless shadow and tried to engulf her. Cleo felt pain as she struggled to get free. With a free arm, she cut herself loose. The shadowy mass then split apart into dozens of Akus and surrounded her. She unleashed a fiery spin attack, knocking them all to the ground. With all his doubles gone, Aku stood up and swiped at her. The claws hit her and she fell. He pounced at the first opportunity and kicked her. He charged at her and Cleo stood her ground, waiting. She rolled out of the way, when he was about to hit, and countered. She slashed his legs off and hacked away more of him.

Aku pulled away from her, breathing hard. He snarled viciously. Far from the altar, Finn and Midna were watching from a cliff. "Oh my ***BEEP*** God! I had _no_ idea she was that strong! She's kicking his ***BEEP*** ass! Pardon my language, Midna."

Cleo glared at Aku. "You don't like getting beaten, especially by a kid! You're not playing with a full deck!"

"On the contrary, I think it is _you_ who needs to recheck your hand," Aku replied.

"I just creamed you, Aku! Your time here is over!"

"Well, it's not over until the fat lady sings!"

"You're at the end of your rope!"

"You may have won this battle, but not the war. In fact, the tables have turned! I still have the essences..."

"You'd better fork 'em over now!"

"_Please,_ enough!" Jack butted in. "All these strange metaphors are making me dizzy!"

"You think you've won? This is only the beginning... You never realized it, either of you! But you were at a disadvantage from the start." The Essences of Light came to Aku once more. "Once I gain the power of the Realm of Shadows itself, I will truly be invincible!"

Cleo charged at him, but he sent another shockwave to push her back. He raised his arms and the essences flew to their positions on the peaks of the eight spires. "NO YOU DON'T!" Cleo charged again and Aku shot his eye lasers across her path and a wall of flame shot up, blocking her.

"Now you will suffer the full might of the Deliverer of Darkness, and you will be smitten by the hand of Aku!" Cleo could only watch as he grew bigger until he was the same height as the spires. A bright glow formed around the essences and beams of light shot up into the sky. He held his arms up again and his eyes illuminated. The beams stopped and the glow reignited. The beams then shot at Aku and splintered around him. They engulfed and seeped into him. Twilight Realm markings formed on his body.

It all stopped in an instant. As the essences fell to the ground Cleo looked at them with heavy dread realizing their light was gone, their colors faded. They were all dead. Aku looked at himself. He raised his hand and a massive surge of energy rippled across the sky and the beautiful eternal twilight now turned into Fires of Hell. He laughed in triumph.

"What do we do, now?" Cleo asked Jack desperately. "How are we gonna save this realm?"

"... ... ...I do not know..." he answered with a hopeless tone as Aku's laughter continued to boom far and wide like thunder over the entire Twilight Realm.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 25

"I can still beat him..." Cleo told herself, but her confidence was dwindling. "I-I'm sure I can."

Finn, still watching, started toward the path leading to the Altar of Dawn, but Midna grabbed his shoulder. "We can't enter this battle, Finn. It would only endanger Cleo more."

"I can't just stand around and do nothing! She could-could..."

"I know you're scared... I am too. But we can't lose faith yet. Cleo still has a chance... ...even though this realm... may not..." Midna was looking very ill and weak. The princess collapsed, her body's complexion slowly turning negative and Finn knew why. The loss of the Essences of Light might mean the end of the Twilight Realm. She and all her people were getting weaker and weaker while Aku was getting stronger.

"No NO!" Finn knelt and tried to lift her up. "Somebody, please! Please God, Oni, Ra, anybody, I DON'T CARE WHO! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!" As he held on to Midna, the back of Finn's hand was beginning to glow.

Aku was towering over Cleo and Jack. "_**NOW YOU SEE THE FUTILITY OF YOUR EFFORTS? YOU NEVER STOOD A CHANCE! I, AKU, AM NOW MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER BEFORE!**_"

"I don't care how strong you are!" Cleo shouted in refutation. "I'm not backing down from you! I'm not scared of you!" Summoning up her courage, she went back on the offensive, but Aku had already disappeared before she could land a hit. She looked around and was able to catch him out of the corner of her vision before receiving a wallop, and another and another and another. The last one sent her tumbling across the ground. She got up and saw Aku's eyes light up and she lifted her sword in front of her just in time to block the lasers. But the force of the blast pushed her back further until she was at the very edge of the roof. Mere inches from falling off, Cleo planted her feet firmly on the ground while the lasers continued to burn the Skribal Sword, overheating it. The sword vibrated violently and then what happened next was truly disastrous.

Cleo's mind was tumbling as wildly as her body after a small explosion erupted right in front of her. All she could think of was that she was falling and she needed to grab the edge, there was literally no room in her head for anything else. This fast-acting instinct saved her, but it didn't save the one thing that made the difference between victory and defeat. The explosion caused a rune to pop off the sword and, as she clung onto the edge, she caught a glimpse of the very thing she needed to win this fight, as the Rune of Oni dropped past her and down into the endless sky.

She climbed back onto the rooftop and looked at her sword. It had reverted back into its original shape. Aku suddenly sprung up in front of her and she reacted in panic, landing a blow to his side. But there was no damage, the blade simply went through him like thick black slime. She tried again and again to no avail and Aku laughed. "_**I FIGURED THAT NEW POWER CAME FROM A RUNE, AND NOW THAT IT IS GONE, YOU ARE POWERLESS!**_" Cleo stood there, feeling numb. He was about to strike her when Jack suddenly zipped up to his face. "_**THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU GET IN MY WAY!**_" Aku zapped him and the lost spirit fell to the ground.

"NOOO!" Cleo shrieked. She flew to her partner and picked him up. He was flickering. "Jack..." Cleo's voice was breaking. "Jack I'm... I'm sorry..."

"...I... I know... It is... alright... you did your best..." But that, to Cleo, wasn't enough. Jack had traveled so far, fought so hard to go back in time, save his homeland, and destroy Aku so the demon would not exist here today. When he didn't succeed, Cleo had to take over the task of slaying the monster even though she wasn't fully aware of it at first. But now, both their journeys were over, both of them had failed, and the Twilight Realm was falling apart. Cleo began to cry.

Aku grabbed her and lifted her up in his clawed hands. He started squeezing the life out of her and she screamed, tears still streaming. "_**LOOK AT ME! I WANT TO SEE THE FEAR IN YOUR EYES AS YOU DIE!**_" She continued screaming as the hard pressure constricted her body. Then there was a loud blast and the pressure suddenly eased, dropping her to the ground. "_**WHAT?!**_" Cleo got up and spotted someone also on the ground, but still moving, and her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Leave... the lass... alone!" Scervo was still holding up his arm, smoke billowing out of a hole where the hook had been. He must've shot at Aku and caused him to drop her, even though it hadn't hurt him. Cleo had no idea Scervo could do that.

Despite the pain, she was able to crawl over to him. "Scervo... you're alive!"

"Not for long... this be me last power backup..." He grabbed her hand. "...Lass... don't stop... keep fighting... The Cleo I know... would... never give up... no matter... how impossible... the odds are..." Cleo could hear the hum of his power dying. "Don't let Aku win... give him... hell... for us... all... ... ..." Scervo's power core had finally shut down and his optics dimmed.

"Scervo..." Fresh new tears leaked out as she felt the love and respect she had gained from him and the love and respect she felt toward him in turn. "Thank you..." Her tears started to shimmer.

One of the essences, the Sprite Cloud, started to spark. "Cleo, look!" Jack spoke up. Cleo saw it and couldn't believe her eyes. "Is that...?" The Sprite Cloud was regaining color and the sparks within were coming back to life. "What... what does this mean?" Jack asked.

Cleo stared at the sparks, which reminded her of the spark of friendship she had just felt and the answer hit her. "It's the bond!" she gasped out.

"_**SORRY TO CUT SHORT THIS FUNERAL! YOU WILL NOT MISS HIM FOR LONG, BECAUSE YOU WILL BE JOINING HIM!**_" Aku was about to blast her with another laser, but then Finn and Midna appeared, surrounding them all in Nayru's Love and blocking the attack. Aku snarled in rage.

Finn's hand was still glowing as he held onto the weakened Midna. "I don't how long this shield will hold!" Finn said. "We're gonna need a plan, quickly!"

"Mid? What happened to you?" Cleo asked, staring at her friend in worry, her face still wet with tears.

"Finn's... ...keeping me from becoming a lost spirit... with the Triforce of Wisdom," she answered between heavy breaths.

"Cleo, if your guess is true, there may be a way to revive the Essences of Light," said Jack. "Remember the bond we felt between us right before the Skribal Sword returned to you from Scervo's hand? The sword must have felt it too, that was why it accepted you. It was your strong regard for all people, no matter how different."

"Hey guys!? Flamebrow's breaking in!" There had been loud clashes of energy as Aku was attacking the magic shield, cracks slowly forming. "So how is this going to help? How do we make this work for us?"

"I think Cleo and Jack need to forge a strong connection... with all the people of the Twilight Realm..." Midna guessed. "Knowing your sister... she most likely made friends along the way... Isn't that right Jack?"

"Indeed she did. She and I have so much in common. She has followed the same path as me, helping those in need and making the connections that make us both strong."

"Midna, you managed to talk to me telepathically while you were a prisoner," Finn said. "I know you're feeling weak, but can you get in touch with everyone in this realm? Can you help Cleo?"

"I'm not sure... everyone's become lost... I was almost lost myself without you, but I don't know if I can contact anyone..."

"I am a lost spirit still," Jack added. "Maybe _I_ can. Cleo, if you would share your nature with me and Finn and Midna, we may be able to reach out to all those we have met."

The cracks were now on the brink of shattering.

"How do we know it'll work?" Cleo asked.

"Only you know the answer to that." At Jack's words, Finn held Cleo's hand and gave her an encouraging smile. Still holding onto Finn, Midna reached out to hold Cleo's other hand and nodded.

"...It _will_ work... 'cause I have all of you with me." The three of them were locked hand in hand with Jack in the middle. "I don't need a weapon to be great, all I need is a friend." And Cleo felt true happiness fill her grieving heart and mind.

"_**WHATEVER YOU ARE UP TO, YOU WILL BE DEAD BEFORE YOU CAN GAIN ANY HELP!**_" Aku boomed as he finally broke through the barrier. But what he saw inside made him hesitate. "_**WHA-WHAT IS GOING ON?!**_"

A bright light had ignited, coming from underneath Cleo. A glowing circle in the shape of a flower appeared, petal by petal. The tears still falling were starting to shimmer again, floating up like bubbles. A diamond-shaped light appeared on her forehead and when she opened her eyes, they were also filled with pure light. The tears soared up into the air and traveled over the Twilight Realm, then rained down upon the lost inhabitants.

In Midnight Hollow, the chief was once again feeling as though all hope was gone. But then he looked up and saw rain falling through the trees. The Drabokos were gathering around in wonder. "This rain... this is no ordinary rain... ...Could it be?..." His face fell. "Cleo, I don't know if you can hear me... but we still haven't fully made it up to you for what we had done. I wish to settle our debt, let us make amends to you..."

Flowebb was gloomily cleaning up, after closing the bar, when curiosity toward the rain pulled him outside. He stared at the rain in awe. "Cleo... Thanks for helping me and my business. I want to return the favor."

Meteroi and the other Mortrams were hiding in a cave when the rain brought them all out. "Cleo, you're trying to save us again aren't you... I can feel it in my gut. Don't give up! We need to cheer for her fellas!" The Mortrams began chanting her name.

Defross and Glacia were huddled together, watching the rain with the Snyorgans. "It's Cleo, I know it is," said Glacia. "She fighting out there for us."

"We're both with you Cleo," said Defross.

Squurall was doing some repair work on one of his windmills when the rain gave him a moment of pause. "Cleo, I don't know where you are, but I'm here for you if you need me again."

All of the Twilis in the village were bunched together, reaching out to the tears of light, cheering with the elder woman in the center. "I always knew you would be the one to save our realm... Both you and Jack. Don't let this evil take over... free us all..."

All their voices carried to the Altar of Dawn and one by one the essences were revived. Only the Moon Pearl remained and the last of her tears flowed into Finn, Midna, and Jack, reviving the last essence.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 26

Aku saw the Essences of Light and couldn't believe his eyes. "_**NO... THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD SHE BRING THEM BACK?!**_"

They flew over to Cleo, recognizing a new master, and encircled her. They didn't just lend their light to the Skribal Sword, they infused themselves completely into it and transformed the blade back into the Sword of Oni. Her tears and the light within her were gone. She was smiling. "You are _so_ screwed, Aku!"

"I do not even want to know what that means," added Jack, although by his tone, he was liking the idea.

In a terrible roar, Aku waved his hand to summon yet another shockwave. Cleo braced for it that time, although Finn and Midna were sent flying. She spun around, afraid they were falling, but Midna recovered fast enough to catch Finn and start levitating. "Mid! Take Finn and get outta here!"

"I will!" She quickly teleported herself and Finn away before Aku could blast them with his lasers, narrowly avoiding being hit. The laser hit the red horizon, turning into a little, lingering light in the distance.

"That's enough!" Cleo hollered at the demon. "You're nothing but a coward!"

Aku turned his burning glare back at her. "_**FOR THAT REMARK, I SHALL DO WORSE THAN KILL YOU! I WILL DRAG YOU INTO THE PIT OF HATE AND MAKE YOU WATCH AS I DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SWORN TO PROTECT!**_"

"I am _so_ getting tired of your ham! You're _not_ hurting one! More! LIFE!" Cleo shouted, swinging her sword with each word.

Aku turned into a floating spiral and the twilight markings on his form spread across the air and the entire environment turned black for a moment. The darkness faded and they were no longer on the top of the Altar of Dawn. Cleo looked around her and realized she was back on top of the Temple of Hira where her whole adventure began, only this time within the Twilight Realm. Aku then shifted into the form of a large shelled beast with spikes.

He withdrew into his shell like an armadillo and rolled after her. The shell was too hard for her blade to penetrate, she needed to use something powerful. Aku tried to ground pound her and she barely dodged him. She suddenly felt the ground give way, again her fast reacting mind told her to grab the edge. As she hung on, she felt stupid forgetting the area had the pitfall trap. She pulled herself up and looked around for Aku. He must've fallen in the pit but she wasn't surprised to see him leap out of it. The pitfall closed up and Cleo stuck to the edge of the rooftop. He rolled after her again, and nearly fell off. As he was wobbling on one foot, Cleo quickly equipped Mars and Mjolnir, drew a Q on the floor, and rushed to Aku's back to grab his tail with the lighting clawshot (she had to be really fast). He was heavy, but she managed to spin him around and release him onto the Q, the burning line almost gone. It exploded on him, sending him skyrocketing and crashing.

He shook himself and floated up, turning into a spiral again and the scene changed. They were now on the top of Thunder Beacon Tower, with lighting flashing overhead. Aku turned into a bat. He swooped down and knocked her off her feet. Then he began beating his giant wings, harder and faster, trying to blow Cleo off the tower. She switched Mars with Draconequus and drew an x on the floor. The mark pulled her onto it, gluing her to the ground. She looked at the lightning and activated Mjolnir again as he started to dive bomb her. The lightning hit the sword and she redirected it at the bat, electrocuting him. Cleo took a chance and attacked.

Aku changed the scene again and they were now on Prisms Peak. He transformed into a giant lizard, then his black body turned red as he puffed up and breathed out fire which spread around him. Cleo avoided the fire but couldn't get through to attack him. He turned green next and spat green fire at her, penetrating the red flame wall. She equipped Iris and threw the sword. It flew through the green fire, absorbing it, continued through the red, and hit his green body, causing him damage. Then he recreated the wall with both red and green fire in different places and changed color more rapidly as he attacked Cleo. She needed expert timing for this. After several failed attempts to cut through his defenses, she finally hit him again.

Another change of scenery and form, Cleo faced Aku's strangest form yet in the heart of Blue Crater. He had the body of a bull, the head of a crocodile, and two huge arms on his back holding swords. He was covered in flames and absorbed metal from the walls to create armor. He charged at her, swinging his swords, flames erupting from the blades. She dodged the attack, nearly getting hit, a small spout of fire barely licking her sleeve. She used Pele to gather blue lava and splash it on his armor. As she chipped away, Aku leaped up and stomped his legs to shoot out a ring of fire. Cleo blocked it with her shield and resumed her chipping. She soon got rid of his armor and now had to deal with the fire on his body. She used Futen to blow out the fire, revealing a skeletal body, and hacked away at him.

In the next round they were underneath the Tree of Dusk and Aku became a mole. He burrowed through the ground and tried to get her from underneath. He made the ground very unstable wherever Cleo stood and she needed to jump away quickly before falling through. Multiple sinkholes formed as she ran. Aku then started popping out to catch her off guard and duck back in before she could gain a hit. She decided to narrow down his maneuvers with Viridi by growing strong vines over all the holes except one. Once he was forced out of the only hole did Cleo whack him good.

Then everything went black and, this time, stayed black. Cleo was in total darkness, guessing she was in Pitch Black Caves. She quickly equipped and used Will-o-Wisp to light up the area and was suddenly attacked from behind, feeling sharp claws on her back. He pinned her down, and she struggled with all her might to push him off. Aku slinked back into the darkness before she could spot him. She was sure he could see her in the dark, so she needed to outsmart him. Cleo summoned more little lights, ran to a corner, and equipped Anubis. She extinguished the lights and drew a shadow copy of herself, letting it wander around while she stayed crouched and still. She heard a growl and a pounce and, pinpointing the source, ambushed him.

She saw his markings glow in the dark and everything lit up again. Cleo fell in the water with a splash and, frantically paddling, hurried to a raft. She was back on the Bioluminisle lake. A sea serpent rose up amidst the circle of rafts. He opened his mouth wide and spat green slime at her. Cleo leapt onto the next raft, before it hit and melted the one she'd been on. She got her Flamel rune ready in case she were to run out of rafts. Then she equipped Shenlong and waited for an opportunity. Aku opened his mouth again and she bent water into it, overhydrating him and his head collapsed onto a raft. She hopped on and struck him.

They were transported again to (Cleo guessed correctly) inside the cone shaped room in the Nebula Observatory. Aku fused into one of the stained glass windows, becoming part of a living image. He darted between the windows surrounding the room. She got Sagittarius ready to shoot at him. He split in two to confuse her. While she was trying to figure out which one was fake, one of them leapt out and zapped a bolt down on her. She fell after a painful shock and heard him laugh. Cleo quickly recovered and made her decision fast. Trusting her instincts, she fired a light arrow at one of the images and he screamed and fell out of the window. Then she attacked.

Finally they returned to the Altar of Dawn. Aku was getting frustrated, thundering. He swelled to a huge shapeless mound and dozens upon dozens of different beasts spawned from it, heading right toward her. Cleo fuddled for the Salamander rune. They swarmed her and she fought them off with all her might, occasionally pulling off a fiery spin attack when there were too many. No matter how many hits she received, she wouldn't give in, not now, not ever. _Don't stop... keep fighting... no matter how impossible the odds are..._ Scervo's words echoed in her head. Jack never gave up, she thought, no matter the odds against him, no matter how impossible the goal. They were so close this time... almost there... almost finally over...

Her unbreakable determination eventually paid off. Aku had reached his limit, getting smaller with each spawn, until he exhausted himself. Cleo charged and stabbed him right in the belly, where the center of the Twilight Realm markings were. They started pulsating faster and faster until they flashed out. She pulled the sword out, and Aku roared in pain as the lights left his body, absorbed into the Skribal Sword, and the markings disappeared completely. The atmosphere immediately reverted back to its normal peaceful appearance in a rippling effect.

The demon looked at himself in dumfounded shock and screamed in complete and total rage. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! HOW CAN A LITTLE CHILD BE THAT POWERFUL?! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! YOU WERE AT MY MERCY FROM THE BEGINNING, I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU THE MOMENT I FIRST DRAGGED YOU INTO THIS REALM! **I HATE YOU!**"

Cleo was feeling no fear or pity, nor did she have anything else to say. Stone-faced, she was aiming to finish this shameless monster. "Now is your chance! Do it Cleo!" Jack commanded. She ran at Aku, screaming, sword ready to strike him down... Something made her stop, something she noticed in the distance. "What are you waiting for?! Cleo, what is wrong?" Cleo couldn't stop staring at the strange sight that caught her attention. It wasn't there before, she hadn't seen it until now, but she knew in an instant what it must be. She had learned about in astronomy. And it was getting bigger... closer...

It suddenly felt like a strong wind was growing, but it was no wind, it was a pull in gravity. "Aku... what have you _done?!_"

"That last laser attack wasn't aimed at your friends..." he answered with a sneer. "That was my ace in the hole... _LITERALLY!_"


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Chapter 27

"The moment I saw the Skribal Sword regain the magic that would destroy me, I knew I was beaten. That is why I created the vortex, if I can never rule the Twilight Realm, than it shall be destroyed _along with you and the samurai_!"

Cleo stared, totally shocked by Aku's drastic plan to defeat her. She felt the gravity slowly getting stronger, still not enough to pull her off the ground, but it was only a matter of time. She equipped Draconequus and drew an x that would bind her, but the sketch of light was pulled right off the ground and swirled away. She tried again and again, but she couldn't get the rune to work. Even the light couldn't escape the vacuum.

"Oh my fierce deity!" Midna cried out. "What is that?!"

"It's a black hole!" Finn exclaimed. "I knew Aku would pull off some sort of cheap ass exit strategy as usual, but nothing like that!"

"It's finished, child! GAME OVER!" Aku let out a terrible cackle.

"H-how do we stop a black hole?" Jack asked Cleo.

"...We can't..." Cleo was feeling the pull and tried to brace her feet firmly on the ground. She fell on her hands and knees. "I thought I could handle anything at the beginning! But just now, I was fighting my very hardest and I still lost!" She started crying in anger. It can't end like this. There must be something... anything. Eyes shut tight, her thoughts raced for an idea, a possibility, but all were rapidly going down the drain before she could scoop them up. Cleo and Jack's luck may have finally run out.

"Sayonara, you brat! Time to meet your _demise!_" Aku's last word seemed to echo in Cleo's head... something started to click. A diamond shaped light appeared on her forehead again.

_There was a large stone spike floating in darkness, a glowing triangular sigil began to trace itself within a circle, the spike planted down and a spell circle formed around it with the sigil in the center, the darkness was rapidly sucked into the ground and was gone completely, leaving behind a spiraled hollow where the spike rested._

She opened her eyes and felt another spark ignite inside her. Feeling it grow, she lifted herself back up with fresh new determination. "I know what to do... I don't know how I know this, but I do."

"What is it?" asked Jack, starting to sound hopeful.

"A seal, I just have to seal the black hole!"

"How will you accomplish that?"

"There's a pattern, it just came to me... as though from a distant memory..." With the mysterious vision of the new (correction, Cleo thought, old and forgotten) spell circle still fresh in her mind, she activated the Rune of Skribal. She traced the sigil in mid-air, it had to be a complicated one in order to make it strong enough to seal something this incredibly powerful. While drawing, she rapidly retraced parts of it that were being sucked away.

Once complete, the spell circle appeared, as big as the vortex, surrounding the sigil. _Please, let this work,_ she thought desperately. Cleo thrust the Skribal Sword and the seal flew toward the black hole. But then, Aku suddenly appeared between them and stopped the spell circle dead with his hand. "Not this time!"

"NO!" Cleo screamed in frustration. She thrust again to push it harder, but it only moved a foot.

"You will NOT SUCCEED!" He sneered. "You, the samurai, your pathetic brother, and the Twilight Princess will be crushed in eternal darkness with the entire shadow realm. You will never see a trace of light again."

Finn was clinging to Midna who was clinging to a column, both of them off their feet. "DON'TLETGODON'TLETGODON'TLETGO!"

Cleo, her sword still connected to the seal, thrust three more times. Aku held fast, laughing. She was on one knee. "Damn it! That was my last chance!" Her face fell in despair. "Finn, Midna... ...Jack... I failed you all..."

"Cleo..." She looked up at the lost spirit beside her. Jack didn't sound the least bit sad, instead he sounded like he was smiling. "Let us inflict one more strike on Aku." She stared at him in mild confusion. "I just figured out how I was able to protect you before... and how to pull it off on command. It was the same way the Skribal Sword came to you, because of our bond. It gives strength to the sword. If the Essences of Light can merge into it, then I can too. If we are to win this fight, I must become one with it."

"Wait, Jack! We don't know what could happen to you!... You could die..."

"...As a samurai, it is necessary to make the ultimate sacrifice if need be... I am sorry I was unable to fight alongside you in my present condition until now... but, it has indeed been an honor aiding you..."

"Jack, no, NO!" Cleo couldn't stop this. Jack, the floating orb of flame, glowed into a bright light. For one second, she could see the silhouette of Jack's true self placing a hand on her shoulder. Then the light floated into the crossguard. The blade immediately shined as bright as the sun. Without anymore hesitation, Cleo thrust one more time. And this time, her efforts bore fruit. The brilliant light shot out right at the seal and Aku.

With an "oh crap!" look on his face, he was hit full force and felt the terrible sting of a familiar katana blade. With no chance of recovery, he was shoved into the black hole by both the seal and shot of light. He was only able to hold on for another minute. In that minute, Aku bellowed "THIS IS NOT OVER! YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LAST OF ME! I MAY HAVE LOST, BUT I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE SOMEDAY! MARK MY WORDS... IT IS NOT THE END!" As he finished, the seal closed the vortex on him and he was gone along with it.

Midna and Finn suddenly fell on the ground as the black hole disappeared. "Finn... you can let go." He still had his arms wrapped around her middle and, catching a glimpse at her chest, quickly let go and looked away.

"Thisisn'twhatyouthink!" Finn explained, red-faced.

After a moment of subsiding, all was calm. Cleo was sitting flat on the ground totally exhausted. The Skribal Sword lay next to her. She stared up at the sky, her eyes searching, trying to find some sort of trace.

Midna and Finn warped to her. "Cleo, you did it! You actually did it!" Finn cheered. Cleo didn't look at him or respond. "Sis?... What's wrong?"

"Where's Jack?" Midna asked her.

Never had a smile formed on her face after her victory. She felt empty. "Why... why did it have to be this way..." She stood up, slowed by her exhaustion. "JAAAAAAACK!" There was no answer, only silence. "You can't be gone! Aku's isn't dead. He's gone but he's not dead! Jack, you sacrificed yourself for NOTHING! It's not FAIR!" Cleo's eyes were threatening to shed tears again.

Then she heard something. It was faint, but she was sure it was a voice. Jack's voice. She looked ahead and saw a flickering glimmer on the ground. She ran to it and collapsed on her legs again, scooping up the little light. Finn and Midna came up to get a look too. "Is that him? Oh no!"

It was the lost spirit, sputtering like a dying candle. His voice was distant, weak. She could barely hear what he was saying. "I don't think he's going to make it Cleo," Midna said grimly.

Cleo shook her head. "I won't give up on him... He'll pull through... he always does..." She remembered what Jack had said before, how their bond gave them strength. "... all that time, I needed you to the very end... I didn't have to rely on my own strength like I thought before... And now... ...you need me... to save you..."

Her tears finally left her eyes and, just as before, started glowing. The Skribal Sword levitated off the floor and a light shone on the crossguard. The eight Essences of Light revealed themselves from within and flew and spiraled into the air back onto the top of their spires. Beams of light shot up into the sky as before and a new rippling effect took place across the sky. The peaceful glow of Twilight was fading away into a calm darkness filled with thousands of faraway lights.

"Is it... nighttime?!" Finn asked dubiously.

Then the sky changed again. The black, star dotted sky faded away in turn, slowly getting bluer and brighter. A new dawn was approaching.

"A miracle... For the first time ever, our realm finally has real daytime and nighttime!" Midna exclaimed.

There was no sun, instead the sky itself seem to glow bright enough for daytime. It was like they were in a planetarium. The lost spirit seemed to react to the light of day and began to flash. Jack was lifted from Cleo's hands, up to the spires' level. The beams of light redirected toward him one by one from each essence. They spun and splintered and enveloped him like a cocoon.

_Moon Pearl. Its soft glow lights the night and protects the lost!_

_Cast Shadow. The light summons an echo of the lost and reveals their image!_

_Firefly Swarm. The glow of inspiration lights the way towards rebirth!_

_Star Formation. The lights draw a map for the lost and traces their image!_

_Aurora Stream. The colors of the wind pour into the image and brings beauty to them!_

_Sprite Cloud. The power of nature creates a spark of life and surges through the image!_

_Green Flash. The first glimpse of verdant light shines upon the lost and awakens their soul!_

_Eclipse Ring. The moon blocks the sun to form a ring of fire and revive the lost with its burning embers so life begins anew!_

After a build up of power and energy, the cocoon of light shrank, like it was condensing into something solid. Then it burst into an brilliant explosion and out popped a body. The light engulfing it melted away revealing human limbs, white robes, wooden sandals, a katana at the hip, a head hidden beneath a straw hat. The man floated back down, unmoving until his feet touched the ground. He looked at himself, his hands, down his own body, and at his feet. He lifted his head, his face finally showed from the wide brim of his hat, a kind Asian face with shining black eyes, and a thin scar across one of them.

"I... I am back...!"


	28. Epilogue

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

* * *

Epilogue

The moment Jack realized he was finally back, Cleo ran to him and threw her arms around his solid body for the first time. The wind almost knocked out of him on impact, he chuckled and put his arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're okay..." she said, voice muffled.

"I would never have returned without you... In fact, if you had never found me, I would have remained a lost spirit forever and Aku would have finally won. You saved me, thank you."

"But Jack... Aku's escaped again. I failed to kill him and I was giving him all I got." She looked up at him sadly.

Jack smiled and shook his head. "This is fine. Now that I am no longer a lost spirit, there is still a chance for me to return to my own time and destroy the demon. You no longer have to worry about Aku anymore."

"Still..."

"Cleo, you are right. You did fight at the full potential you should ever have as a child. You are nowhere near my level of skill yet."

"Will I be as strong as you someday."

"With time and discipline, then yes you will..." A big smile grew on her face.

Finn and Midna walked up to them. "Well now that this is all over, why don't we celebrate?" Finn added with enthusiasm.

"I don't see why not," Midna agreed. "I shall declare a festival to proclaim a new era for my people. They have finally earned the blessings of salvation."

"Great, a new holiday... oh!"

"What?" asked Cleo, Jack, and Midna.

"I forgot it's still Halloween back home! And your costume is all ruined."

"Don't worry about it. I'll just go as a battle worn hero."

"Well at least let me treat those wounds before we go Trick-or-Treating."

"What is Trick...? Never mind, you can tell me later," said Jack.

"What do you mean 'we'? I thought you said you're too old and didn't have a costume."

"Well I realized that this will be our last Halloween before I go to college. Also, I think I know what to wear this year now."

"Finn, Cleo, will you help me make the arrangements for our new festival? I could certainly use some inspiration."

"Sure thing Midna," Finn nodded.

"Jack, you coming?" Cleo asked.

"Of course." Jack looked toward the robot body a little ways away. "First things first..."

* * *

This was a day like no other, so many things had happened throughout the entire Twilight Realm, not just at the festival. All the different races were rejoicing in the new era, celebrating together. Before, they were just individuals living an endless mundane existence burying away the past in shame. From that day forward, the day and the night reflected the two sides of themselves, reminding them of their ancestors' mistakes in the past and helping them build a better future for their lives. In the Snyor Village, Defross and Glacia had an egg on the very day of Aku's defeat. They had already made a decision for a name, either Jack or Cleo for a boy or girl respectively. A funeral for Scervo took place back in the robot town. A fortnight later, the Mortrams helped the ancient robots build a statue of Scervo and Sparklette hand-in-hand in their honor. It now stood in the center square with a plaque telling the tale of Scervo's great deeds. The giant insects that were left in this realm and gave up the fight started a new life in the robot town. Squurall sold all his windmills and moved on to a better career in medicine and became a doctor. The carpenters, who repaired the bridge to the Nebula Observatory, used the extra money from the Timeshift Crystal to patch up the place. After a few days, the observatory had a grand reopening. In the center of Midnight Hollow, a sprout of an ancient flower peeked out from the ground. The Drabokos cheered for the rebirth of the once extinct plant, knowing that in decades to come, an entire bed would flourish and produce enough oils to keep the robots running without the need of the Thunder Beacon Tower. Flowebb's business in Lunai Bay was thriving and he soon expanded his simple bar into a big restaurant and inn and, in turn, helped the bay become a popular place for tourists.

Midna, Finn, Cleo, Jack, and many others had worked hard to set up the festival and the preparations paid off. Everyone in the realm was happy and at peace. It was like they had finally woken up after a very long sleep. And Jack,... usually having to be so serious and alert in a harsh world ruled by Aku, was reveling in the joy of the event. You could say he was chilling, even though he claimed he wasn't cold.

But the day... it was over too soon. And there was one last thing left to do...

* * *

The group was back at the base of the Blue Crater Volcano. They were now standing before the second Mirror of Twilight, the one that started the whole mess.

"So this is where you came from Jack?" Midna asked.

"Yes..."

"That would mean that it leads straight to Earth's alternate universe. You know, where Aku rules the world," confirmed Finn. "Speaking of which, whataya suppose happened to Flamebrow?"

"If I know him, he will have already found his way back there from wherever the vortex sent him."

"I'm guessing he's still feeling sore about it," Finn said, half amused yet anxious.

"Well, of course. His defeat by a child was indeed, quite humiliating for him. Aku's threat of revenge is not to be taken lightly."

"So you're saying he'll come back?" Cleo asked. "To get me?"

Jack didn't answer, nor look at Cleo. Instead, he turned to Midna. "Princess, Cleo once told me that you are the only one who can shatter the mirror. Without it, Aku cannot possibly return to exact his revenge on my friends."

"But with the mirror gone, does this mean..." Cleo trailed off.

Jack then turned to Cleo. "You knew this was coming. I too will return to that world and continue my quest to find a way back to the past. It is time we parted ways... forever." He walked up to her and kneeled down. "But even if we never see each other again, we will always be close... here." He pointed at each of their hearts. Cleo stood there for a moment and then they embraced one another.

"Thank you, Jack." She suddenly thought of something, a once in a lifetime chance. "Jack, before you leave for good, I need to ask you one personal question!"

"And what would that be?" he asked curiously.

"...What's your _real_ name?"

Jack looked surprised at this. "No one has ever asked me that since I came to the future." He leaned his head next to her ear and whispered something to her too quietly for Finn or Midna to hear.

Cleo had her eyes closed, like she was trying to take the words into her mind before they could escape her. "...I-I'll remember that... always."

Jack smiled and got up to walk toward the mirror as it opened up for him. He looked back and bowed. "Goodbye my friends..."

Finn waved and Midna curtsied. "...Sayonara!" Cleo called back, also bowing.

Jack continued to smile as he dissolved away into the Mirror of Twilight. The second it closed, Midna raised a hand and thrust. Thousands of cracks formed on the mirror and it exploded into dust.

Finn walked up to Cleo and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Time to go home, sis." Cleo was still staring at the space where the mirror had been. "I know what's really bothering you. Don't worry, Jack'll find his way back home someday. I _know_ he will."

Cleo looked at Finn and smiled. "Okay."

They traveled back to the first Mirror of Twilight and said their goodbye to Midna. "See you later, guys," she bade. "Cleo, I want you to know that _you_ will always be my dear sister."

"Thanks Mid," Cleo responded with gratitude. She drew out the Skribal Sword and gave it to the Twilight Princess. "I don't need this now. Take good care of it."

"Of course."

The siblings waved and left the Twilight Realm. "You know you still could've kept it," said Finn.

"I know," Cleo shrugged. The moment they entered the Arbiter's Grounds in Hyrule, her brother's hand glowed and the Triforce of Wisdom left him and soared away back to its original owner in Hyrule Castle.

* * *

"Hurry up you two, the Trick-or-Treaters are already out!" Their father called. Finn and Cleo, after finding their way back home to their realm, had quickly gone into the bathroom before he could see Cleo, so they could clean up all the scratches and scrapes she'd gotten from her battle.

"Okay, that should be it," Finn said, finishing with the last cut. "You go on outside, I'll catch up with you."

The two parted and she ran into her dad. "What-Cleo, is that you? Did you do this to your costume on purpose?" he asked, looking at the scratches and messed up Link outfit.

"Uh, yeah. I thought I'd go for an authentic battle worn look."

"It looks realistic, that must've taken a lotta work." Cleo felt slightly worried that he might realize it _was_ real. "Tell me, what kind of boss battle was it?"

"Um, it was Aku?"

David laughed. "I'll bet that wasn't easy." He rubbed her head. "Go have fun!" There was door bell ring. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" He left her, grabbing the candy bowl.

"Wait for me sis!" Finn came out of his room, wearing a blue shirt with a white animal hood and his green backpack. "It's adventure time!" Cleo burst out laughing.

They went to the door and the first Trick-or-Treater they met made Cleo stop dead and stare. It was an Asian boy dressed in samurai armor. "Trick-or-Treat?"

It took a second to get her voice unstuck. He looked so much like her friend. "Are you the new kid, Watai?"

"Yes, I am Eiji."

"Konichiwa, I'm Cleo," she gave a bow and he bowed back. Finn was grinning.

"Can you give me a tour? This is my first Halloween," Eiji requested. Cleo happily agreed and they both ran off ahead while Finn followed behind as the sky turned into twilight.

The end.


	29. Bonus 1

Here is all the bonus material for the whole fanfic.

_**Warning! Do not read this unless you've already read the whole story! It will contain spoilers! (it will also contain spoilers for the other two fanfics, so keep that in mind)**_

IMHO, Aku is, hands-down, the best well-written cartoon villain for his unique character balance of evil and humor. In so many American kids cartoons, villains were never taken seriously with their pathetic "meh" attempts to be menacing and failing at it, and Aku is one of the few exceptions. Both Genndy Tartakovsky, the writer and director of Samurai Jack (2001-2004), and Mako, the voice actor, actually made a great effort to create a genuinely dangerous threat while also making him funny enough that's still appropriate for a cartoon. The very reason I wrote this crossover fanfiction was because he has a color scheme _very_ similar to the Twilis, especially Midna in her mini-form. And because he's a shape-shifter, his trademark power, he could easily pass as a Twili and _no one would realize_ it's him! Since I'm a fan of both Legend of Zelda (starting from 1986) and Samurai Jack who put two and two together on this theory, this was an opportunity for a good story.

_It has been over a month since that fateful trip to Hyrule. 11-year-old Cleo Hayster, a blond girl with blue eyes and a ponytail..._

The very first sentence immediately tells readers familiar to Cleo's stories that the fanfic is taking place shortly after Mysterious Travel Guide. And it also tells anyone not familiar that she had and adventure in Hyrule before.

_...was painting a pumpkin blue after she was done carving it into a scary face she'd seen in Super Paper Mario._

This was based off Count Bleck, the villain from said game (Wii, 2007). I once carved a pumpkin like that, except I didn't have time to paint it blue.

_"Whoa, slow down squirt!" the tall, older brother cautioned with a laugh. He rubbed his brown, slightly spiky hair in wonder at her pent up energy. He was still getting used to Cleo's uplifted spirits after she had finally recovered from her grief over her mother's death, three years ago, and stopped blaming herself for the accident._

I, again, wrote a brief recap to the first story and also had to rewrite the descriptions of Cleo and Finn in case this is a person's first time reading any of my stories.

_"Came just in the nick of time. I was worried it wasn't gonna make it. Ebay's always been difficult." He handed the parcel to his daughter who opened it eagerly with a "thank you."_

_Almost immediately, Cleo could see the green tunic and hat she was going to wear that day for Halloween. The whole outfit was a Wind Waker style hero's uniform, complete with a plastic sword and shield. "Cool!"_

I needed Cleo to wear the green hero's uniform because it is an important key element to the Zelda series. I decided her second adventure would start on Halloween which is the perfect excuse for her to get the outfit from Ebay.

_"I'll take care of the 'Bleck'-o-Lantern while you change."_

Probably not the most original name, but it's a clever one.

_"I heard you got a new gym teacher at your school. What is his name again?"_

_"Watai," answered his sister. "He has a son about my age, but I haven't met him yet."_

Coach Watai and his son Eiji made a brief appearance in the sequel Bermuda Triangle. The reason I had this brought up in Skribal Sword was because it will make an important impact to Cleo after she had her whole adventure with Samurai Jack. Although right then in the first chapter, it wouldn't mean anything to her or to the readers until the epilogue.

_"You're not coming?"_

_"Sorry sis," apologized Finn with a shrug. "I don't have a costume."_

_"But this is our first Halloween since we moved here!"_

_"Cleo, I'm almost eighteen. I'm too old for this kind of thing now."_

The story starts on the last Halloween that Finn will still be at home. Finn was going to college very soon and I wanted him to be in this story, even if his role was more minor than in MTG (Mysterious Travel Guide).

_It had been the middle of September when they'd last gone there and it had resulted in a crazy almost life threatening, adventure._

Finn actually said the very last part of the sentence a little later in the same chapter.

_"You want to visit Syrilla, don't you?"_

_Finn's face became red. "Well-I-a-" he stammered. "That's not it!" He turned away. "It's not like she's my girlfriend or anything!"_

_"Right," she giggled. "It's okay, I don't mind visiting the Gerudo Fortress."_

_"Don't you dare say anything to embarrass me in front of those Gerudos!"_

In MTG, after the siblings managed to recruit the Gerudo leader Syrilla, Finn had developed a crush on her. They had a brief romantic relationship during their breaks from their quest.

_After getting the Hylian Travel Guide out of the hollow tile in the basement, tramping out to the woods, drawing a portal spell circle, reciting the incantation, appearing in the Lanayru Province, traveling to Lake Hylia, getting shot out of a cannon toward the desert, and walking across the sands along a canyon pathway, they finally arrived at the Gerudo's Fortress._

This is the longest sentence I have ever written. Had to be this ludicrously long for the _humurz!_

_They were not the least bit worried that it took hours, knowing that when they got back, (even after days) hardly any time will have passed in their world._

And this is the reason they would bother to go through all these shenanigans. Lol!

_As they approached the entrance, a guard stopped them. "Who goes there?"_

_"Uh, Finn and Cleo," Finn responded, a bit unsure._

_"Oh really... Prove it."_

_"What?! How?"_

_"Fight me. Prove to me that you're every bit the warrior Syrilla said you are."_

_"I'm not even armed! How was I supposed to know about this?"_

_The guard shrugged. "That's not my problem."_

_"I'll do it," Cleo said with a sigh._

_Finn looked at her. "Are you serious sis? All you've got is a plastic sword."_

_"I'll manage." Cleo stepped forward. "I'm ready."_

_The guard gave an amused smirk. "Brave one aren't you? For a child." She held her spear ready. Cleo also prepared herself._

_Finn was about to open his mouth in protest when another female voice spoke "That won't be necessary". Finn gasped out. Coming to the entrance from the fortress was the Gerudian leader Syrilla._

I was originally going to have Cleo go though a metaphorical combat tutorial with some random guard. But it would be much more fitting to have Syrilla coach her, so I had her interrupt.

_"So you've been training your skills with a sword, have you?"_

_"Well... yeah sorta. I'm still practicing."_

_"Wait, you mean in a video game or in real life?" asked Finn in wonder._

_"Both," Cleo piped with a bit of satisfaction._

_Finn shook his head wryly. "I didn't know that!"_

After the events of MTG, she had started practicing in case she needed the skills for whenever she got to return to Hyrule. It was a good thing she did in the month before Skribal Sword started. Otherwise, she'd be (how should I put this?) under-leveled. Also an interesting fact, playing video games actually improves your skills. No joke! Action games helps your focus and reflexes, shooting helps with eye precision, puzzles and strategy improves your mind (timed puzzles and RTS also encourages thinking on your toes), the list goes on.

_"Let's see how strong your swings are." She held her staff tightly in a defensive position. "Now don't hold back, hit me with your best shot." Nodding, Cleo took out her sword and swiped horizontally at her and then made a vertical slice. Syrilla blocked her every move with the staff. "Very good. Now try to stab at me." Cleo charged forward and thrust at Syrilla who dodged with ease and countered. Cleo was knocked off her feet, causing Finn to gasp. "You need to be faster than that, even in defense. Now if I attack like this!" Syrilla was about to swing one way but then tried to psyche her out by changing her aim. Cleo was quick to notice and managed to block it with her shield. "Very good! And finally, a spin attack. Think you can pull this off?"_

_"I've never done this before. But here goes..." Cleo held her sword ready and spun as fast as she could. Syrilla blocked it and Cleo again fell on her rear. She was momentarily dizzy._

Cleo needed to go through all the basic moves before she was ready for the unexpected surprise quest waiting for her in the Twilight Realm.

_"I just heard the whereabouts of a rare treasure up in the mountains and I plan to get my hands on it."_

_Cleo suddenly became more curious. "What kind of treasure?"_

_"You sure you want to know?" The child nodded with intense interest. "Very well. It's called the Moon Pearl. It's suppose to be a legendary treasure. According to my resources, it is located in the Temple of Hira."_

_"Really? I've heard of that. It's said to have the power to protect you from dark curses. We're really gonna find it?"_

The Moon Pearl was an item obtained in Link to the Past (SNES, 1991/92). It was suppose to keep the player from turning into a bunny when he enters the Dark World. In this fanfic, it has become one of the important quest items and it prevents Cleo from becoming a lost spirit when she enters the Twilight Realm.

_"Cleo, I know you're excited about this. But do you remember what happened the last time we had an adventure like this? You know, the one that was crazy and almost life threatening?"_

And he said it!

_"A shame. But your brother's probably right." Finn was a little flustered at that. "It's your decision, and I won't force you otherwise. I was planning to go on my own anyway."_

_"Wow I..." Finn didn't know what to say._

_"I'm glad you came to visit, Finn. It's nice seeing you again." Syrilla armed herself with her two sabers. "I must be off now. Wish me luck you two." And then she was out the doorway._

_Cleo was feeling a little let down. Then she looked at Finn and noticed something peculiar. The look on his face immediately told her that he was about to make a really stupid decision._

And Syrilla _knew_ it was coming. The "It's your decision, and I won't force you otherwise" was quoted before by Finn in MTG, when he was trying to convince Syrilla to defect. And she just used the same reverse psychology back at him. She can really push this guy's buttons as well as he did her's.

_The temple was a tall tower. It was in the shape of a square layered cake (that was the child's impression), each floor slightly smaller than the previous. The dull bricks almost blended into the rocky environment._

The Temple of Hira is the same one that appeared in LttP (Link to the Past). This is where Cleo collected the first Essence of Light, and it's the only dungeon that didn't have a boss battle.

_There were stalfos and weird looking beetles guarding the place._

When I wrote this, I was referring the beetles to those weird shelled octopus things that heavily bounce you back (they appeared in the Temple of Hira). I forgot that I was planning to write in an insect army from Aku's world. But I decided not to correct that mistake, instead I just left it to readers' speculation to whether they were the official Zelda monsters or the very same robot bugs that came looking for the essence.

_There were many crystal switches throughout the tower that opened certain gates and closed others. There were also pitfalls, some of them hidden that wouldn't open until you walked across it and suddenly found yourself a floor or two back down._

These are the puzzles similar to the ones in Temple of Hira. You have to drop down a certain pitfall in order to get the Moon Pearl (but in Skribal Sword, if you're bold enough, you leap over it).

_"Wait a minute." He picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it at the path to the pearl. A pitfall opened up before them. "I knew it!" The hole was big, too big to just hop across._

_"So what do you suppose we do?" asked Syrilla._

_"Give me a second to think. Maybe-Cleo!" He saw his sister run full pelt toward the pit and leap as far as she could. He could barely breathe when she caught the edge on the other side and pulled herself up. She had made it._

This is the first time you notice Cleo's actual recklessness. Because she had survived a great deal of danger from both Ganondorf and Majora and a fate worse then death, she thinks she can do anything, letting it go to her head. Finn is the more cautious one and trying to look after his sister like a responsible brother should. Even though he's proud of Cleo for her bravery and willingness to act when needed, in the back of his mind, he wishes she'd not do anything stupid.

_She looked around and saw her own shadow growing and changing shape. She realized that the shadow was pulling her inside it. "FINN!"_

_"CLEO!" Finn was about to run toward her and nearly fell down the pit._

_Syrilla caught him and held on to his arm tightly. "Wait, you idiot!"_

This was similar to a cutscene in Wind Waker (GC, 2002/02) where Link tried to save his sister Aryll from getting taken, only to almost fall off a cliff and grabbed by Tetra.

_She was falling... falling... falling... Memories were fading... She no longer knew anything... All was nothing to her... she felt lost... alone... ...Then she heard a voice... calling her name... She looked up and saw someone falling with her... But all she could see was his silhouette... A man in robes was coming closer... reaching out his hand to her..._

Cleo was, once again, having a prophetic dream. It was showing her exactly what will happen to her in the near future, where she fades into a lost spirit and Samurai Jack (still a lost spirit himself) rescues her.

_... ... ...Cleo opened her heavy eyelids. The first thing she saw was nothing but a blur, there were dark colors all around her and the only source of light was on the horizon. It was the same gleam of twilight as before. What had happened? Then a tall, shadowy figure was towering above her, its features unrecognizable in her hazy vision. And before she could figure out who or what it was... she once again fell into unconsciousness._

She was very nearly close to learning, from the beginning, that she was in the presence of Aku. She caught her first glimpse of the demon's true form and (despite watching the cartoon before) wasn't able to recognize him in time.

_The room she was in was made of stone... or was it metal? There were glowing neon lines on the walls and floor in a high-tech geometric pattern. There was a large, plain square on the wall next to her and a small plain circle. She touched the circle and the square opened up, revealing the world outside._

Describing places wasn't easy and this is but the first part of the Twilight Realm I had to describe. In Twilight Princess (GC, Wii, 2006), when you enter Midna's world for the first and only time, you only got to go to the Sol Shrines and the Palace of Twilight, since it's very near the end of the game. There was not much to see officially what the realm holds. And because Cleo's entire quest takes place there with the eight essences and the invading army, I had to invent so much more than what Nintendo had created, the different regions, races, culture, technology, everything needed for the story.

_He was a Twili, no doubt about that. He was short, for an adult, around the same height as herself. Like all Twilis, he had a marbled black and white body and glowing tattoos. Unlike the others, who had teal tattoos, his were acid green. He had long red hair and a beard, and his face... was pretty oddball looking. Eyes round as coins, a flat nose, wide mouth, and when he laughed, she could see a slightly curved canine._

This is the closest description to what I'd always pictured a Twili version of Aku to be. To put this more simply, he's kinda like a cross between the swamp hermit Aku and Pygmy Midna.

_"Oh, right! Where are my manners? My name's Okam," he answered with a bow. His name was as odd as his face, Cleo thought._

Besides possibly the description, his name is actually a hint to his true identity. If you thought of spelling his alias backwards, it would say Mako (Dec 10 1933-Jul 21 2006) which is the name of Aku's voice actor.

_Insects, giant black insects were swarming the whole town. Buildings crumbled underneath their tread, fires erupted, smoke was rising. They were headed straight toward the palace. But then they were shot down by a rain of arrows from the guards. Several bugs managed to get onto the palace walls before they were felled by kargarok riders. The last one (a beetle) almost reached the window Cleo was at and she jumped back, startled._

Just like in the cartoon, they are supposed to be robots, not real living breathing creatures. While the writing didn't say they are machines, I purposefully left out that detail, making readers assume that they're not, and trying not to make it too obvious for SJ (Samurai Jack) fans.

_"Mid, what are those things?" Cleo asked._

_"What's this?" Okam demanded. "First you neglect 'Princess', then you call her by a stupid nickname?" Cleo was starting to get annoyed by this guy._

As evil and deceptive as he is, he can be pretty silly in his own sarcastic, mocking, and sometimes accidental way. I've been trying my best to keep Aku in character while he's trying not to be that character, leaving him to behave like an occasional jerk ass while under the guise of a wise (or wise-cracking) old Twili.

_Okam cleared his throat. "The Essences of Light," he recited. "are the very life blood of the Twilight Realm. They are like sols, only a hundred times more powerful than the two here in the palace. They were created to keep this realm in balance and without it, not even we Twilis will wholly exist in the Realm of Shadows. They are what shaped our race from the Dark Interlopers who were banished here long ago." Okam looked at the curious expression on Cleo's face and seemed to have read her mind, for he added "An old scroll was recently discovered, it told me all there is to know about them. From what I understand, it may be the key to saving our world."_

Coming up with the quest items, their backstory, powers, and very purpose was a challenge to create. It took awhile to carefully think through how they'll play out in the whole story from beginning to end.

_She got the Moon Pearl. Its soft glow lights the night and protects the lost!_

Before I could write the whole chain of tasks for Cleo to follow, I had to come up with the quest item ideas from scratch, because they were going to be the blueprint for the middle part of the fanfic. The Moon Pearl, being the first quest item, I thought of using a series of gemstones and precious metals. I had the right idea, but I decided not to name them as such. The Essences of Light are based on the quest items in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons (GBC, 2001). The essences from those games followed a theme and mini-story descriptions, so I used the same inspirations. The ones in the story share in common certain sources of light (even shadows). The types of light told me what element they might be for the places, people, and dungeons, and the mini-stories, once I came up with them, gave me a pattern to follow and in what order the essences are to be gathered. All of that guided my story writing.

_Everyone looked around, the citizens cowering in fear. Then, out of nowhere, a smoky image appeared above their heads. It was Midna's face, half covered in hair, but it couldn't be..._

Mom told me this was referencing to the Wizard of Oz (1939). It actually didn't occur to me when I wrote this.

_"Veran... I thought I had banised you from the Twilight Realm!" Midna called out._

_"Midna," Veran answered in a sweet tone. "It's been too long... Do you really think you can keep me out forever?"_

_"So it was you then?! You are the one behind the invasion?"_

_"Oh, what gave me away? Am I that obvious?"_

Aku is the big bad in the story, but since readers are not to know that yet until the story is nearing the end, there had to be another villain to act in his stead so they could focus on that character away from Aku. Originally I was going to create an OC villain, a fierce insectoid leader of the army. Then I remembered Veran from OoA (Oracle of Ages). There had been fan speculations that she is a Twili, plus she looks a lot like Midna (which is also why I made them sisters in the fanfic). So I decided to use her as the undercover big bad. Also, in MTG, there was a brief mention of Midna remembering her last skirmish with Veran in the past.

_"Just what, in the name of Culex was that all about?" Okam questioned dubiously, looking at Cleo with agitation._

Culex is an ultra powerful entity from Vanda and a hidden optional boss encountered in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES, 1996). He lives in an inter-dimensional gateway located behind a sealed door in Monstro Town. The door can only be opened by a Shiny Stone (traded in Moleville for a Firework). Then he will ask you if you want to fight him before he leaves Mario's world. Should you accept his challenge, you'd better be prepared for a long hellish fight and die a lot. HE'S FRICKEN HARD, harder than even the final boss (Smithy)! I used to fight him many times as a kid and had my fair share of losses (I did win a few times).

_He grabbed the tip of the plastic cosplay sword and pulled it back, causing it to twa-a-a-ang when he let go. She gave him a whack on the head. He was unimpressed. "That didn't even hurt."_

Of course, realistically, being hit in the head by a plastic sword hurts plenty. The Twili disguised Aku couldn't feel pain except by weapons blessed by deities.

_"You shouldn't even be here, this is not your realm."_

_"Neither is Hyrule, yet when Ganondorf attacked I decided to stay and fight instead of going home. I didn't care! Innocent people were getting hurt and-"_

_"I understand!" Midna cut in._

Cleo was recalling her first adventure in MTG. In reality, most people in the real world (if they were in her shoes) wouldn't do exactly what she did in Hyrule. There are even some who refuse point-blank to accept other people who are different from them in their biased and unfair bigotry. What Cleo had said is actually very important because, showing her true xenial nature, Midna realized Cleo may be able to wield the Skribal Sword, considering how picky the weapon is.

_"Cleo, When people do good deeds, evil will do everything it can to bite them in the butt. It's the way things are." They looked at Okam. "I have seen something like that in the pa-"_

_"Thank you, Okam!"_

Okam would believe that, because _he's_ the evil that's doing everything to bite good in the butt. Cleo, at the final battle, threw the quote back at him, only it's in reverse.

_Her red hair came to life and elongated rapidly toward the lock and inserting itself into three holes. There was a sound of booming, metal clicks, whirls, and shifting._

The last time her hair shot out like that was to kill off her enemy, Zant, in TP.

_For a fleeting moment, she thought it was the Master Sword, but upon a closer look, she realized that the sword she was looking at was different. The crossguard was straight instead of curved downwards and the blade's shape was tightly twisted, like an entwined rope._

The description of the blade shape is a hidden sign of its origin from Oni. His sword had a entwined infinity symbol shape. The Skribal Sword's is the same except tighter with no gaps in the metal. It transforms into Oni's sword in the last battle.

_"Have you noticed the stone with a rune on the blade?"_

_"Yea?"_

_"Well, touch it and see what happens." Cleo took out the sword again and did as told. The moment she placed her finger on the rune, the tip glowed bright. "Now touch the tip to this wall and trace it." She tried it and a glowing line trailed behind the sword's movement. She instantly thought of drawing on a DS screen and tried to draw a rupee. When she was done, a bunch of real rupees popped out of the wall._

The magic runes thing is a whole new and cleverly unique item/equipment system, with the sword being able to become other items in a certain way. This fanfic is meant to be like a DS (2004) or 3DS (2011) game, with the drawing and everything the runes do.

_Then she drew a heart and heart-shaped fruit was produced._

There was no other way to describe whatever kind of hearts Cleo would get when she experimented with it. There are heart fruit growing in Skyward Sword (Wii, 2011).

_Cleo glanced at the rune again and quickly noticed (wondering why she hadn't done so before) that there were three holes below the rune. "The one you have is the Rune of Skribal, it's permanently attached to the blade. It's not the only rune in existence, there are others out there. The three extra slots are there for them. If you ever come across them, you can place them in these slots to gain new powers and abilities, so use them wisely."_

And I had to invent all the runes and their abilities myself. It was actually pretty hard, I had to keep reinventing and tweaking them ahead of time in a quests guide I wrote until their powers are acceptable enough and not lame in some way. But I ran out of ideas and had to place the runes I thought were the lamest as the last to be gathered (although I still tried to make them useful somehow). Besides the Rune of Scribal, all the rest of them were named after subjects from mythology and I had to find out what kind of powers would fit with the names. That's why it was so hard.

_"Will you come with me?"_

_Before Midna could answer, Okam said "Sorry kid, but that's not an option. She's the Twilight Princess and she needs to stay right here for her people's sake."_

_Cleo was a little disappointed. She would've loved to have Midna for a partner. "I suppose you're right," she sighed._

_"Tell you what Cleo, I'll come with you!" Okam offered as though it was the treat of a lifetime._

_"No thanks, you'll just slow me down."_

_"Hey, didn't your mother teach you to respect your elders?" Okam asked in annoyance._

_"I'll be fine on my own, thanks!"_

First time readers would most likely think Okam would be Cleo's partner this adventure and, when Okam was shut down, wonder who was going to be one. They'd got their answer soon enough, though.

_Cleo spent her rupees on a new shield so she'd be better protected. She also supplied herself with magic bottles in which the Skribal Sword was powered by._

The first version of this said there was a bomb shop and that she needed a special permit slip (or something, I can't remember) she would get later to buy the bombs. I originally thought she would still use normal items along with runes, but that was before I watched a LP of Okami (PS2/3, Wii, 2006) and got the inspirations needed for the runes (Any Okami fan will notice that some of the rune's powers are very similar to the brush techniques). I later completely replaced the illogical sentence with one where she buys magic vials and that made a lot more sense.

_A poe came out of nowhere and attacked her. It was small and easy to deal with._

Normally, in the TPverse you can't see poes unless you have a sixth sense. I think the reason Cleo could see it is because it's visible in the Twilight Realm

_When the lantern broke in half after hitting the ground, the small light didn't fade. It rose out and just floated there. Cleo stepped carefully closer to it to get a better look, then gave it a prod with the Skribal Sword, it had no effect. A second take and she could clearly see that it was a small blueish-green flame._

This is the same as in Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998) and Majora's Mask (N64, 2000) where, after defeating a poe, you collect a poe soul from its lantern and it can have a random effect on you if you consume it (either replenishing or draining your health). In various Zelda games, like in TP, they can be traded in for essential items in side quests. But in this fanfic, the soul trapped in the lantern is going to be Cleo's partner (I have _no_ idea how Jack ended up in there).

_She had seen these things before in Twilight Princess, they were supposed to be lost spirits, once human before they unfortunately stumbled into the Realm of Shadows._

_"Hello?" Cleo tried to say. It completely ignored her. Whoever this poor soul was, it was totally unaware that she was there or aware of itself._

_She looked at it bereftly, wondering what to do. Cleo herself was lucky she didn't suffer the same fate, thanks to the Moon Pearl... A sudden thought struck her. She took off her backpack and brought out the Essence of Light. Hoping this would work, she brought it close to the ball of flame that was the soul._

_A beautiful light shined from the pearl and traveled to the lost spirit. It spun and splintered and enveloped it like worm silk creating a cocoon. The light got brighter for a moment before it suddenly stopped. For a moment, in her sinking heart, she thought that nothing had happened. But then..._

_"... ... hnn... ...W-wha... ... ...whe...am I... Where am I?..." Cleo heard an adult male voice coming from the lost spirit, its light pulsating in rhythm of its speech. "...Who-who are you?"_

_Cleo smiled hugely. Although it (he, she corrected herself) still didn't get back a recognizable body, at least the spirit was no longer lost._

Very early in the story planning, I almost forgot about Samurai Jack. Because Aku's in this fanfic, even though he's yet to fully reveal himself (hence the main reason I wrote this fic), it would be too trivial not to have Jack, since they are bound like Yin & Yang in the cartoon's storyline. And because all humans turn into lost spirits when they enter the Realm of Shadows, it was a self made choice for his role as Cleo's partner, so it helped Jack fit into the story perfectly.


	30. Bonus 2

_"Cleo?... What... has happened?"_

_"I was hoping you could tell me," she replied with a shrug. There was a pause. "Are you still there?"_

_"I apologize... It is just... ...I do not remember... anything..."_

_"You... have amnesia?"_

_"...I suppose so..."_

To keep readers (and Cleo) in the dark about what's _really_ going on, I had to give Jack amnesia. It's important for his identity to be just as hidden as Okam's and not reveal it from the start.

_Cleo made a sad groan. "I guess the light given to you was much weaker than I thought. Maybe one essence won't do for a full revival, not enough juice."_

_"'Juice'? What do you mean by 'juice'?"_

_"Never mind." Cleo supposed he didn't come from a modern society._

I decided to add a funny running gag involving Jack's confusion with idioms (similar to the running gag in the Xiaolin Showdown (2003-2006) series with Omi often messing up the expressions). Although the running gag doesn't happen that way in the cartoon, he does have some moments of confusion. Once he didn't understand what a high five is when someone calls it out to him.

_"Now, about your name. Do you remember what your real name is, or do I have to come up with one?"_

_"Uh, no. I think I... ... It is Jack, I think... But that is all I can remember about myself."_

Cleo asked for his _real_ name and he _thinks_ it's Jack which isn't. That is the first hint to his identity. In the cartoon, his true Japanese name was never revealed.

_"Well... I suppose I can come along. I do not know if I can be much help, however."_

_"Don't worry about it. Let's just go to the Twili Village." And that was when a new friendship started._

I briefly mentioned friendship because it's the very important key to the Skribal Sword's and the essences' true power.

_A rural village, with buildings that look like they were carved from smooth rock formations, lay still and quiet._

The description was inspired from an early concept art of a Twili Village in Hyrule Historia (2011).

_"Cleo, please listen. If you want to defeat these insects, you need to follow my guidance."_

_"But how-" Her question was cut short when the beetle, that had countered, came after her. She quickly dodged out of the way, barely avoiding a foreleg that looked capable of impaling her._

_"Please, just trust me!" Not sure how he could help, she nonetheless agreed. She stood before her opponent, more ready this time. "I see a weak point. Do not strike just yet." She kept focus on the weak point he described while avoiding the beetle's attacks. Then it raised its foreleg. "NOW!" Cleo charged toward it and stabbed at the weak point. It was down but not out. No longer able to stand upright on its hind legs, it continued its assault on all six. Jack found another weak point and guided Cleo to victory. It fell in defeat and exploded._

_With the first one gone, Cleo and Jack ran after four others attacking the village. Jack guided her and she made her move in the right places at the right time. After a hard struggle, five beetles were destroyed, the other five had already gone._

_Cleo was panting hard, letting herself drop on her rear. Some of the villagers were coming out of their buildings (some just popped out of nowhere). "How... do you... know... about... their weak...ness..." she asked between pants._

_Jack sighed "I just do. I do not know why..."_

That is the combat system I thought up. I did try to make it just like a DS game where you tap on certain points on the screen. And it justifies Jack's reason for being here, having had experience fighting the robot bugs himself, though currently unable to fight.

_"Bah! I can not believe this!" Veran spat as she watched Cleo through a swirling mass of cloud that was showing the image. She waved it way impatiently. "I was sure my terrifying threat would frighten the pathetic girl into running away, like any other teary brat." She started pacing back and forth. "This Cleo is much tougher than I thought... Fine, if she is going to act like a hero, I'll just raise the stakes a little."_

_She turned to one shadowy corner and a mantis-like warrior appeared from it. It bowed. "You called my Mistress?" it said in a dry, dry voice._

_"Thrifos, a child is on her way to Pitch Black Caves in search of the Essence of Light. Go there and give her my regards, in your own special way. And one more thing... do not underestimate her."_

_"Yes, my Mistress... I look forward to it..." There was a hint of wicked amusement to its tone. It let out a dark chuckle before disappearing again._

It's not uncommon to see a villain's interval in various media and I thought to add one here to show how threatening Veran is and for readers to see what kind of first boss Cleo's up against ahead of time.

_"Did you forget that you almost got killed by that thing?"_

_"Yeah, but I had help from you. I know it's dangerous to go alone, that's why I'm taking you."_

Based on the most famous line in Zelda history, from the very first Legend of Zelda (NES, 1986). "It's dangerous to go alone, take this!"

_Cleo thought she heard rustling and looked around. "What is wrong?" asked Jack._

_Before she could answer, the robot sprang out of hiding. "What the!?"_

_"Hello there lass, would ye mind sparing me some of yer goods?" he asked in a tone that was obviously feigning friendliness._

_"Who are you?"_

_"I? I be LD-052S Scervo, the most feared pirate in the Twilight Realm!"_

On the synopsis draft, there was no one like Scervo planned. But as I was writing the beginning, I was thinking of adding him to the story just to make things a little more interesting for Cleo as an extra obstacle to her already difficult journey. I tried not to make an Oi and Ollo repeat, because instead of a comedy relief, he is a real adversary and anti-hero who's sole purpose in the fanfic is to be her greatest rival. The character is supposed to be a descendant from the Scervo in Skyward Sword, not the same guy. The one in the game is the 002 model while the one in the fanfic is the 052. Also I am _very_ surprised there is almost literally no fanart of him in DeviantArt, only a couple in the entire website. I really don't understand why that is, he's a pretty awesome dude.

_Scervo looked at Cleo's sword with a look of shock. "That cannot be! The Skribal Sword?"_

_"You know about it?"_

_"Yar har har! Never I thought I'd lay eyes on it, says I! A golden opportunity, it will be, ter wield a powerful blade."_

_"Fat chance!"_

_"Fat... chance? That does not make any sense," Jack mused. Cleo ignored his confusion and attacked again. Scervo caught the blade in the hook on his other arm._

_"The Skribal Sword is mine!"_

I needed to give Scervo a good reason to keep coming back at every mission and not just because he wanted to get even or he saw Cleo as a worthy opponent. His desire to obtain the Skribal Sword seemed a more meaningful motivation. And it also makes Cleo's situation more edgy.

_Ignoring the "DANGER, keep out" sign, Cleo unlocked the large wrought iron door. (Zelda chime) "Did you hear that?"_

_"Hear what?" asked Cleo._

_"...Nothing."_

Jack actually broke the fourth wall.

_They entered the cave, into the darkness. In the first room was a glowing crystal switch, Cleo struck it and the whole room brightened, but only temporarily. She found the first key, unlocking the next door and the moment she went through, she realized that the giant bugs had got there first somehow, undoubtably looking for the essence. The bugs were the least of her problems though, there were traps for her to overcome. There were bottomless pits that she couldn't see without hitting a light switch which only lit up for a second so that she needed to memorize a path across the skinny bridges. The first puzzle was a long row of ten light switches. A strike changed one and specific others on or off._

Writing parts about the dungeons is one of my least favorites. Puzzles are not my forte, and trying to describe them in detail is hellish. But I can't just leave them out, because it would get bland and lacking and not Zelda game worthy, which I am trying to accomplish otherwise. That's why I suffered though it.

_Cleo eventually figured out a pattern and lit them all, giving her the Rune of Anubis. It granted her a new power to create a shadow duplicate of herself by tracing around her body._

Anubis: Egyptian. He is the god of the underworld with the head of a jackal, who ushered souls into the afterlife. Before they gain the right to enter, he weighs their hearts on a scale with a feather, determining their wholesomeness. If the heart is lighter than the feather, they move on peacefully. If it's heavier, their souls are devoured by Ammit, the part lion/hippo/croc beast demon. There is also an enemy in OoT (Ocarina of Time) called an Anubis who mimics the players every move.

_**Ninja Mantis Soldier:**_  
_**Thrifos**_

Because the majority of enemies are bugs, I decided all of the bosses, save the final boss, should be Arthropods. The first boss is based off of a race of mantis men called Thri-kreen from Dungeons & Dragons (starting from 1974). The name is a combination of Thri- from that race and -fos which is a suffix for anthropomorphic or human-like monsters from the Zelda franchise.

_She got the Cast Shadow. The light summons an echo of the lost and reveals their image!_

Yes, a shadow is a source of light, because shadows cannot exist without light.

_Father... father... father, where are you! ...I am scared!_

_I am here my son, do not worry._

_Father, I got lost. I could not find my way._

_I told you not to wander off into the woods, it is not safe. Your mother and I were worried._

_I know... I am sorry, please forgive me._

_I am thankful you are not hurt. Let us go home..._

I got the idea from SPM (Super Paper Mario) to add a dialogue only backstory where lost memories were revealed between missions after obtaining each quest item. Every time Cleo gains an Essence of Light, more and more of Jack's past is unearthed, slowly disclosing to SJ fans who he is. Even if some, if not most, readers never watched SJ, the memories give the details needed to tell them about his story.

_"I still can't believe you managed to pull it off! I thought the first one you gained was from dumb luck," Okam admitted. He couldn't contain his excitement. He went almost up to her face. "Have you done something like this before?"_

_"Uh, yeah." Cleo leaned back a bit._

_Okam turned away, stroking his beard. "Interesting..." He went up to her face again. "Listen uh..." he turned away again. "I want to say... I'm sorry for doubting you..." One more time, he was in her face. "There! I said it. I'm sorry. So no hard feelings right?"_

Tatl the fairy, basically did the same thing to Link in MM (Majora's Mask).

_"Wrong foot? Who's foot?" Jack asked._

_Okam looked at him and his jaw dropped. "A lost spirit... talking to me? Where'd it come from?"_

Of course, that's not the only reason why his jaw dropped. Aku didn't expect to see his greatest enemy again accompanying Cleo, with regained awareness, after he practically left him for dead.

_"Grr, where did I put that thing? No, no, no, NO!" He threw them in the air in frustration. "I swear, I can't keep track of these things!"_

_"Essences of Light, a Reference Guide," Midna read out the label on a tube._

_Okam zipped over to her. "Where'd you find that?!"_

_"It was under 'E'."_

This was from the second episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010-?).

_You're going to need the Geozolas' help at the Lunai Bay, if you're to get anywhere."_

_"The what-zolas?" Cleo and Jack both asked._

_"They are Twilight Zoras. One of the many races in this realm," answered Midna._

The name Geozola is from both Geozard and the misspelled River Zola both of which are fishmen enemies.

_Cleo resupplied at the market and left the palace with Okam leading her, Jack trailing behind. They went through the deeper alleys of the castle town, the place was like a maze. Twice Okam ran into a dead end, the second time he practically slammed into a wall. He punched it with a grunt and turned right around._

_"You live here! Don't you know where you're going?" Cleo asked in mild confusion._

_"I don't come down here that often. In fact, this is the first time I've been in this area."_

_He suddenly stopped short and Cleo, who wasn't paying attention, almost fell off the edge of the floating island. Okam caught her and spun her about._

This was from a scene in Hotel Transylvania (2012), which was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the same guy who created SJ.

_"Exactly how long have you been a servant to Midna?"_

_"Vizier," he corrected. "And it's been a fortnight."_

_"Really?" Cleo raised an eyebrow._

A fortnight is a British word for two weeks. Now I know I'm American but I consider 'fortnight' much better than 'two weeks'. Most of you probably don't remember, but Midna said that the invasion was happening for the past fortnight earlier in the fanfic, the same length Okam's been an adviser. That's when Cleo was starting to get suspicious of him, even though it's too early to tell if he's got something to do with the invasion.

_The trail to Lunai Bay was along the coast._

The word Lunai was from the Lunaii Dollmaker website. I wanted a word related to the moon, but I don't want to just use luna or lunar, I wanted something more off the dictionary and I give credit to the site I like to visit.

_"You can't save it Flowebb!"_

The name was a word fusion of ebb and flow of the tide.

_She was given some food, a glowing Lunai Bass. Jack wished he could eat too, he seemed to crave fish. It was slightly cold but she ate every bit of it until it was bones._

His love for sushi is another hint to Jack's identity as a samurai.

_The place had stacks of crates filling around half of the space. Flowebb said the thing needed was hidden behind them. Cleo had to work her way around, pushing boxes and climbing over them._

And of course we can't have Zelda without a sliding block puzzle.

_Cleo equipped the rune and touched it and the tip of the sword ignited._

_The sword suddenly started moving on its own. "Whoa!" She was almost dragged by it. This was not the first time it had done that, the sword did the same thing when she first used Anubis. It was guiding her to a large crack in one corner where the water was pouring in. "Alright, show me what to do." The Skribal Sword started smudging it's light all over the crack. She pulled it away and the light vanished. The water stopped and the crack vanished._

I had to have the sword act of its own accord because Cleo doesn't know what the runes do. It's almost impossible otherwise to find out how they'll work without its guidance.

_She wandered around town and used the Rune of Flamel to restore the buildings, docks, and boats until there was no sign of damage left._

Nicholas Flamel: Historical. He was said to be a famous alchemist who had unlocked the secrets of immortality. The legend tells of his great knowledge of the elements and he created the Philosopher's Stone that can turn lead into gold and restore age in thermal and organic materials (the key to immortality). The stone has made it into popular media such as Fullmetal Alchemist (2001-2011, overall versions) and of course Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997/98) (Why the hell they changed its name to Sorcerer's Stone anyway?! This is why I prefer to read the original British print).

_Then Flowebb offered to sail the two adventurers to Bioluminisle._

This is a fusion for bioluminescence (natural light from living organisms) and the word isle. You might notice reading my whole fanfic that I do a _lot_ of word fusions to name people, places, and such. I guess I'm not as original as I thought.

_After twenty minutes of sailing and listening to some of Flowebb's lyrics about kappas in the ocean, they hit shore._

In Animal Crossing (GC, 2001/02), if you can connect your Gamecube (2001) with a Gameboy Advance (2001), you can visit the island by hitching a ride on a boat driven by a kappa named Kapp'n as he sings some weird sea chanteys.

_She gained the Rune of Will-o-Wisp. The Skribal Sword now had the power to attract fireflies and use them as a lantern._

Will-o'-the-Wisp, Ignis Fatuus, Hinkypunk, Jack-o-Lantern: English. The wisps are either ghost balls, fairies, or other form of supernatural phenomenon witnessed by folk from medieval Europe. They are either very helpful or a dangerous hindrance depending on the tales. Most stories tell of travelers noticing the floating lights at night or in a dense fog and would try to follow it, only to be lead to quicksand or a cliff. In the worse case scenario, the victim may never find their way back and wander aimlessly lost forever. On a lighter note, some will-o-wisps are guides to those who were already lost in the wilderness and lead them back to safety (or even guide departed souls to the afterlife). Scientists say that the phenomenon is caused by sources of heat (like electricity) exposed to methane leaking from marshes.

_**Glutinous Shadow Insect:**_  
_**Beezlabulb**_

The boss was inspired by the mini-boss in TP, Twilit Bloat. It was named after Beelzebub, one of the seven demons of sin, representing gluttony and was also known as Lord of the Flies (which is what the name means). I altered the name for the fanfic and included the word bulb, since light is both the boss's strength and weakness. Again, another word fusion.

_She got the Firefly Swarm. The glow of inspiration lights the way towards rebirth!_

Amber was an automatic choice of what kind of gem it would be, since insects often get trapped in tree sap and preserved as the sap hardens into rock over thousands of years. I just now realized (as I wrote this) that when Cleo said 'asap', Jack thought they need to gather sap right before going into Bioluminisle. And they actually did! Lol!

_... ...Father... may I ask you something?_

_Of course my son, what is it are you asking?_

_In the woods, I saw... ...a strange tree..._

_...A tree?_

_When I was near it... I could feel... a chill... It is as though I was gripped with fear..._

_... ..._

_Do you know something of it?_

_...Come with me... It is time I told you the tale of a great battle I once had a long time ago..._

At the very opening of the first episode of SJ, Jack's father told him about that great battle against Aku and how he sealed him away into a petrified tree (there's even a two-parter prequel episode involving that). The memory shown was right before that opening.

_"Well I might not have the time, but I'll try and help out with the tables tonight," Cleo offered._

_"Can you wait tables?" Jack asked._

_"How hard can it be?" Turned out it was much harder than she'd thought. Sure she was good at keeping track of people's orders, but the time management was difficult all by herself. She had to create her shadow to double the process, yet after a couple of hours, she was quite tired. But her exhaustion was the least of her problems when a certain someone came in._

_"There ye are, lassie!" shouted a mechanical toned voice._

This little side quest wouldn't be important enough to add to the story if I didn't have Scervo involved. I always tried to find some way he'd make some kind of appearance at every essence mission, even after Cleo gets one.

_"Well I'm glad to know that you're helping people out. But don't let yourself get distracted by these little things. Just keep your focus on the major task at hand. Remember, by gathering all of the Essences of Light, will you be able to help everyone."_

_"Thank you for this advice Princess Midna," Jack responded cordially. "We will keep these words of wisdom in mind."_

_Midna smiled at him. "My, your friend is quite polite isn't he," she commended._

It's not an obvious hint to Jack's identity but it is. Politeness is one of the important parts of the Bushido Code.

_"Veran's army is undoubtedly determined to claim the essences," Midna stated with concern. "Of course it's nearly impossible to even know where to look for them when they appear only briefly every hour of twilight. Sometimes I wonder how Veran knows where they are?"_

_"The scroll, maybe?" Cleo guessed. "I mean, is there a copy of it?"_

_"Impossible, there's only one in existence," Okam claimed._

_"Are you sure? Then how did Veran know?" Jack asked._

_Okam shrugged. "Beats the heck outta me." Cleo was silent for a moment. "Something on your mind, Cleo?"_

_"...No, nothing."_

Again, Cleo gets suspicious of Okam and her suspicions grow over time as she observes more and more subtle clues that would go right past most people. She is very smart and attentive for an eleven-year-old and I think it's because a part of the accurately analyzing and calculating Fi is in her.

_"Oh, not cool!"_

_"The temperature has nothing to do with it."_

The last two lines was very much like the quotes in Back to the Future (1985). "That sounds pretty heavy." "Weight's got nothing to do with it!"

_She jumped up on top of the beetle's back and stabbed down into a weak point she was able to spot. The insect fell over with its legs twitching, electricity sparkling._

This is the one and only time I used a description that suggests they are robots.

_They all hopped in, he pulled the brake lever to loosen the wheels and they began rolling into the tunnel (they hit and killed one of the beetle guards on the way)._

In MM, you can take a swamp boat ride and kill a giant octorok blocking the tunnel.

_"What's your name, sir?"_

_"I'm Meteroi, of the Mortrams."_

Meteroi is a slight alteration to the word meteoroid. Mortram is from Latin words mortui petram meaning 'dead rock' which is the name of an unkillable enemy in LttP.

_The symbol read "Mars"._

Mars (Ares in Greek): Roman. Mars is the god of war and represents males. He is often paired with Venus, the goddess of love and females, and one of the inner planets was named after him. Unlike his Greek counterpart Ares, who is destructive and violent, Mars is more a defender of peace and will go to war to secure it. It probably took the longest time for me to come up with a mythological subject to go with the bomb drawing ability.

_"I have a bad feeling about this..."_

The most famous line from Star Wars (starting from 1977).

_She was standing in infinite whiteness, looking around. There was nothing, a nothingness that stretched on forever... everything was empty... and she was alone... She called out to someone, there was no answer... and the loneliness hit her like a fever... she was alone... The only thing accompanying her was her own shadow. But then the shadow moved... it grew... it changed shape... becoming monstrous... She tried to move but realized she was frozen... she couldn't defend herself... Then it towered over her and there was a demonic cackle... ...it pounced on her... ... ...Everything went black..._

Once again, she gets another prophetic dream. Her dream was forewarning her of the real threat to the Twilight Realm and most likely Hyrule. It also revealed a more vulnerable side to her that she would soon come to understand, shortly after her Skribal Sword gets stolen.

_After climbing a few stories, they finally caught up with him. Scervo was standing on the edge of a cliff looking out to a tall, tall tower in the far distance._

The tower briefly mentioned foreshadows the Thunder Beacon Tower where Cleo would have to go next. This sentence shows to readers that Scervo and that tower are connected somehow. As I wrote the sentence, I was still planning a backstory for him that would have a more emotional and sympathetic turn involving his role.

_"What gives ya the gall to decide who the sword master is? Ye be nothing but an arrogant child who thinks herself important, who thinks she can do anything without mind of the consequences!"_

_"That's not true! I'm nothing like that!" But the moment she said it, Cleo began to realize something. She thought back to her own dangerous actions and how she felt proud at what she could do. Suddenly, she no longer felt sure about herself._

The near fatal accident from the cave-in she caused, the feeling of vulnerability from the nightmare, and the harsh lecture from Scervo all happened within a short time, finally causing a great impact on Cleo's self judgment. I've been trying not to make her perfect and to have some serious flaws that she needed to overcome.

_"Turns out I don't need a weapon to be great, all I need is a friend."_

_As Scervo tried to fathom the meaning of their words, the Skribal Sword started glowing and moving on it's own. He tried to keep a firm grip, "NO!" but it yanked itself out of his grasp and returned to its true owner._

This is the sword's first sign of its true power as it reacted to Cleo's and Jack's bond. This was similar to a scene in Kingdom Hearts (PS2, PS3, 2002). Her new character development in this story was a bit of a challenge, even though I knew exactly what lesson she must learn that would be different from MTG and Bermuda Triangle.

_"Oh, thank Oni! You're alive! How did you survive the fall?"_

_Cleo hadn't put much thought into that, she was so busy worrying about her sword. She looked in the direction where Scervo had gone and wondered._

I don't remember if Cleo and Scervo talked about it later on, but in case you're confused, Scervo actually saved her from falling to her death even though he also stole the Skribal Sword as well. He still has some morals left that he managed to cling on to long after the tragedy.

_"Okam sent us here to fix this bridge and said he'd pay us later. You got the money, right?"_

_"Uh, what?" Cleo didn't expect this. "How much are you owed?"_

_"9200 rupees."_

You can pretty much guess where that last part came from. Go ahead and say that famous DBZ line.

_"Don't worry about it too much. You're an adventurer aren't you? I'm sure you'll be out of debt soon if you're collecting treasures."_

A few Zelda games have treasures to collect for side quests.

_Further in, they found a robot, a little one with a strange head piece, miss-matched eyes, and large hands separate from the body._

I added the ancient robots that appeared in Skyward Sword since robots are one of the central elements in SJ.

_It was long dead and Cleo couldn't restore it with Flamel, it didn't seem to work on age._

I had to have Flamel only repair damage and not reverse age as a lame excuse to use the Time Shift Stones.

_Then she found a control panel with tangled white lines on a black screen. She untangled the lines into a simmetrical formation, revealing a chest containing the Rune of Sagittarius._

Sagittarius: Astrology. Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 22) is one of the twelve zodiac signs (thirteen if you count Ophiuchus). He is usually depicted as a centaur wielding a bow and had invented the weapon in Greece. As a constellation, he points the arrow at Scorpio to protect Hercules and avenge Orion. People born under that sign are adventurous, intellectual, optimistic, philosophical, and overconfident.

_They looked at the images with curiosity, the windows contain familiar faces, Oni the first King of Twilight, a divine beast, and then the eight Essences of Light surrounding the Skribal Sword held aloft by a faceless figure._

I planned from the beginning to involve Oni again to aid Cleo. In TP, the fairy tales in the Twilight Realm said one of the great heroes is a divine beast according to Midna. The stained glass windows illustrates ancient legends told in the Realm of Shadows.

_"And what about the Essences of Light? How is it that you are learning of their whereabouts?" Jack asked._

_Veran chuckled. "I have my sources... and they also told me that you Jack are to be removed."_

_"What?! Why?" asked Cleo in surprise._

_"Because without him, you're nothing."_

Of course the real reason Okam (the sources provider) wanted Jack killed because he's worried Jack will get his memory back and tell Cleo everything about how he and Aku got into the Twilight Realm, which will ruin his plan. Even before Jack and Aku ended up in that realm, the demon was always siccing someone (putting him on the most wanted list) to kill him, knowing Jack's the only one who can destroy him.

_Before Cleo could realize what Veran meant, the sorceress swooped down on her. She became vapor and started engulfing the child. Cleo struggled to get it off her, but it seeped into her skin and she became still. Then Cleo lifted her head and let out a cruel laugh, her eyes filled with malice. "This body is so young and refreshing! Now her life is mine to control!"_

_"NO!" Jack shouted in fear and anger. "Let her go!"_

_"You won't have to worry about her once you're dead." She lifted the Skribal Sword to strike down the spirit when she suddenly stiffened. "What?!" She tried to swing down but her arm seemed frozen. "Why can't I move?... Get out... What?!... I said get out!... NO! Impossible!..." She fell onto her hands and knees. "You're not taking me! GET! THE HELL! OUT! NOW!" She let out a mighty scream. The dark smoke issued from her body and Veran reappeared before her._

_The sorceress was panting hard from an apparent struggle. "...How?!"_

_"I'm not as weak as you think..." Cleo got up. "I was possessed once and I'm not going through that again!"_

In OoA, Veran tries to posses Link, but he did a back-flip to dodge her. But I wanted a better excuse for Cleo to escape it _after_ being possessed. Cleo mentioned that time when Majora's Mask took hold of her in MTG and she eventually threw it off her. It was that past experience that helped her fight off Veran.


	31. Bonus 3

_**Cosmic Moth:**_  
_**Actias Nova**_

The name Actias is the name of a genus for Saturniid moths such as the Actias Luna or Luna Moth. I just changed the latter name to Nova, after a fiery explosion from a star.

_She got the Star Formation. The lights draw a map for the lost and traces their image!_

Star Formation made of _diamonds!_ How the diamonds didn't effect Cleo's blurred memory of Ghirahim like it did in BT (Bermuda Triangle), who knows.

_...Mother!... ...our home... it is... gone... everything is gone!_

_Please be brave my son... we have escaped._

_But father... he is... taken from us._

_Do not fear for him, remember your destiny._

_No mother, please!... Do not leave me!_

_One day... you will return here... and take back what is ours... I will wait for you... ...be strong..._

_... ...Mother..._

_Goodbye for now... my little boy..._

Unlike the last memory, this one was in a scene in SJ, except there was no dialogue involved when Jack and his mother escaped Aku's clutches when he burned Japan to the ground. All the dialogue was my own invention, as how I imagine what they had said when they had to part ways so Jack can spend a lifetime around the world preparing for the fight against his arch-nemesis.

_"Why were the beetles mining the gems?" she asked him._

_"Because gems possess magical qualities, they give power to a wielder with supernatural abilities. The army seeks them out here in the Tempis Mine for Veran."_

_"So she's getting stronger..." Cleo concluded._

All of the facts are true except the last one. The gems weren't for Veran, they were for Aku. In the show, he has enslaved thousands of people around the universe to mine for gems so he could get stronger and expand his empire. A clue to Aku's presence here. Also, this may be the only time that the name of the mine was mentioned. Tempis is Latin for time, because of the Time Shift Stones.

_She turned to see Midna. The tall Twilight Princess stood radiant out in the half-light, then she walked over to them and was now in imp form._

Just so you know that Midna is in her true Twilight Princess form 90% of the time in the whole fanfic. This is one of two times she turned into imp form.

_"You know I can't help but worry about you every time you leave to find the essences. I know I'm not your mother... but every time you're gone, I start to wonder when and if you will return safely. The thing is... you're risking your life to save my realm, and I could've stopped you out of concern for your safety, but I haven't. And sometimes I wonder if I have made the right decision in letting you do this."_

I kinda figured that Midna felt like a big sister to Cleo. The reason for this was because she never had good experience with Veran and longed for some real sisterly love with someone and Cleo already had a bond with her in the past. She finally admits to having her for a sister at the end of the story before Cleo had to leave.

_"What about your family, your brother Finn. He's no doubt out there somewhere looking for you, worried sick."_

_"...I can't contact him, so he can't know what's going on. I don't like to leave him hanging like that, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm sure, if he knew what I was trying to do, he'd understand."_

And it was right before we catch up with Finn in the hilarious interlude. Had to set it up that way story-wise.

_"Well then, let say we go to the library to ask Okam of the next essence," Jack suggested. "The sooner we finish this quest, the sooner we can go... home..." Suddenly, there was an alarming flash and he grunted in pain. The spirit fell to the ground and started to dim._

_"JACK!"_

This was an interesting take on Jack. The moment he mentions completing a quest in order to go home it triggered something in his locked-up memory, causing internal pain. Jack himself had been trying to go home, after Aku plunged him into a bleak dismal future, as his ultimate goal.

_"I think you've had enough of Chateau Romani for one day."_

Chateau Romani is a special milk obtained in MM, which gives you unlimited magic, lasting until you go back to the dawn of the first day. Although not alcoholic in the game, Finn actully got drunk by it at the MTG ending.

_Telma was wiping a glass when Finn barged in. She looked up. "Well hello there hon, what can I-" But Finn walked right passed her without a word and started to climb up onto one of the tables and onto the high shelves. "Can't get past the guards, I take it?"_

_"Shut up." Finn was almost dangling from the shelf. A pot fell over and smashed onto the floor in his haste to get to the secret passage._

In TP, when Link got cursed again into wolf form by Zant, and stuck that way, and Midna was dying, Link needed to take her to Princess Zelda in hopes to revive her. Because he wasn't welcome in Telma's bar in his current form, he gains help from her cat Louise who tells him of the secret passage.

_"Blue Chu Fizz it is then..."_

It's not in any of the Zelda games. That drink was my own idea.

_*Cue Pink Panther Theme*_

_Finn came out the other side into the underground waterways and walked up the stairs to a trap-door. It opened up to a courtyard garden and he snuck his way past the guards, climbing over walls and up vines to the roofs. He stumbled once or twice and nearly fell off. He was approaching a window that would lead to the stairway which would lead to Zelda's room when he suddenly sank through a weak part of the roof and crashed into the hallway. He quickly hid behind a tapestry before a guard showed up to check out what was going on. Finn snuck up and knocked him out, then placed a piece of debris on his head so it would look like an accident. After he traveled down the hall into the kitchen, he heard someone ahead coming his way. He hid in the large dumbwaiter (it was a tight fit) and pulled himself up._

_He finally reached Zelda's room, but she didn't seem to be there. He tried to get out and quickly realized that he was stuck. "Oh, great!"_

_*End Theme*_

This was from the part in OoT where you have to sneak past the guards to see Zelda. I expanded it from the private gardens to the rooftops and hallways and such explored in TP. My mom was laughing so hard when I read her the part about the way Finn made the roof cave in look like an accident, which meant I succeeded in making this scene funny. I always imagined the Pink Panther theme would play in a scene like this. And both hearing the music and watching the scene in my mind make me giggle even now.

_"Hey princess, I need your help... But first, can you help me?"_

No, that wasn't a writing mistake. I wrote it that way on purpose.

_"You're the landlady, you should consider firing your two doormen," he grumbled._

This joke immediately came to me as I started on chapter ten.

_"If what you say is true, then your guess was correct. She is in the Twilight Realm, however I don't believe she has fallen into darkness completely."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I mean if she still has the Moon Pearl, one of the Essences of Light, then she hasn't turned into a lost spirit."_

_"Essences of what?"_

_"There's a legend around them, Midna once told me about them."_

I figured Zelda should know about them from Midna so Finn isn't completely in the dark about what was going on. It wouldn't be fair for him to be on a cliffhanger for too long over what might have become of Cleo.

_"So how come she hasn't tried to come back if she's not a lost spirit? I'm sure she would've contacted me with our cellphones if she had."_

I honestly don't understand how cellphone calls work, if they can contact another phone the same way as a walkie-talkie, as long as they're in the same dimension, or they strictly require satellites (which Hyrule obviously doesn't have).

_"Give me your hand." Finn was unsure about her suggestion but did as told. Zelda held it in her left hand and placed her right over it. He could see the Triforce of Wisdom illuminated on the back of her right hand and it began to glow, brighter and brighter. He suddenly felt a calming sensation, a feeling of warmth, as if drenched in liquid made of sunlight, seeping through his body from where she held his hand. Then the Triforce disappeared from her hand. She finally let go and smiled. "I always knew that wisdom was your greatest virtue."_

The three main OCs of MTG, Cleo, Finn, and Syrilla are like the three pieces of the Triforce. Finn _is_ really wise in his own way, with his responsibility as an older brother and having to be the man of the house whenever their dad is away on police duty. His borrowing the Triforce of Wisdom is the only way he can get into the Realm of Shadows without paying the price. Cleo, as smart as she is herself, is the bravest and therefore most compatible to Courage (until the fourth Triforce was recreated into Love in BT and became rightfully hers). And Syrilla is obviously perfect for Power, and she'd be a more worthy owner to it than Ganondorf.

_"How is he?" she asked with anxiety._

_"I did the best I could with my magic. He'll need time to recover. Maybe you should keep your mind off this by finding the next essence."_

_Cleo hung her head. "I can't do it without him. He has been a great help... he knows things, he knows how to fight and has been guiding me."_

Our heroine is now starting to show some true modesty for the first time, since her adventure started. This goes to show how much she's come through in her character development.

_"While I was trying to heal him, I heard him talking softly to himself. I think he was dreaming."_

_"What did he say?"_

_"He said, 'I must return home... save my homeland... I must defeat...'"_

_"Defeat... what? Who?"_

_Midna shook her head. "I'm afraid that's all he said. One thing's for sure, his memories are slowly returning."_

This was a brief sneak peek into Jack's identity. In his sleep talk, his ultimate goal he'd been trying to accomplish throughout the entire cartoon series was almost revealed, just stopping right before the name of his enemy.

_Cleo appeared in an arctic field with Jack and quickly realized that she had forgot to bundle up. But she couldn't turn back now, it would waste too much time. They trudged through the snow as she shivered. To her envy, Jack didn't seem bothered by the cold._

I don't know whether it's because he's a lost spirit or that he was trained to handle the harsh environments.

_The town within was made of stone and ice and the inhabitants had rounded heads and bodies, almost flat arms, legless feet, beaks on their faces and glowing tufts of feathers on their heads._

The word Snyor is from an Icelandic word meaning snow and is fused with penguin (yet another combination) as that's what they look like.

_"STOP, THIEF!" Cleo saw a Twili running with a bag over his shoulder and one of the Snyor villagers was chasing him. She ran in front of the thief and swiped her sword at him. He dropped the bag in surprise and ran off._

This was from MM, where you stop Sakon the thief from stealing bombs from an old lady from the bomb shop. You have to swipe him with your sword to get the blast mask as a reward. If you use any projectiles, the bomb bag goes off, vaporizing the thief.

_He did a double take at her. "Wait, I've never seen anything or anyone like you before! Where are you from?"_

_"Uh, I'm from Earth."_

As far as I can remember, this is the only time in my fanfic writing hobby the name of Cleo's world is mentioned. At other times, it was referred to as "Cleo's world" or something.

_"The music box is meant to unite two lovers into a happy life together. As the music plays, the pair would take each others hand and dance to the music. If both accept this dance, then once the music ends, they will be husband and wife."_

_"So the box is for a wedding ceremony," said Jack._

This is similar to the mating traditions in Happy Feet (2006), with penguins singing to each other and finding the perfect match. I wasn't sure at first if the music box is a tradition for the entire realm or just exclusive to Snyor Village. There was a draft idea of Scervo having his own music box he never got to play with Sparklette and was finally gonna play it after getting over his grief, but I soon abandoned it.

_"That sounds beautiful. Are you engaged?" Cleo asked._

_"Indeed, to Glacia."_

_"Well then, congratulations Mr..."_

_"Defross."_

The two names are related to ice, a slight alteration to glacier and defrost.

_To Cleo's utter surprise, guns had appeared on the backs of the beetles that shot lasers. "What sorcery is this?!" Jack blurted, dubiously. The lasers managed to hit several archers at once, Cleo ducked to avoid the shots._

_"I've never seen anything like that before! Where the hell did they get such weapons?"_

Here we really see a hint to where they might be coming from, as they show a little futuristic weaponry from Aku's world.

_He placed, in her palm, a rune that read Salamander._

Salamander: Zoology. Although salamanders are real animals in the Amphibia class, there have been legendary takes on the aquatic lizard. In olden times say they are the elementals of fire and can survive on flames, nesting in hearths or bonfires. Some versions say they are baby dragons. Real ones are slimy and the people from the olden days believe the slime is fire resistant. Some species are poisonous and the poison had been exaggerated to be fire by the superstitions due to the burning feeling you get if you touch it.

_"That was incredible, I commend you for your courage and wit. That battle... I think I went through something like this before."_

Jack was referring to the time when he defended the dog people from the robot insects in episode III.

_There was no cheering or anything close to a celebration of victory. Instead, there were casualties, mourning. Some of the guards lying on the ground, motionless, were being picked up and carried away silently. The ones who were still alive were wounded and medical assistance rushed to aid them. It was a painful sight and Cleo felt like she was going to throw up._

This is probably the saddest and most gruesome moment I've written in all three stories. Although mostly PG with some slightly dark, violent, and crude bits, I managed to slip in even grimmer parts (such as the mention of multiple dead bodies) without going too far.

_"I know it's you Veran! You let Glacia go or-"_

_"Or what, you'll attack little ol' me? Surely you realize that if you harm me, you'll harm the blushing bride to be."_

_"Her name is not Shirley!" Jack corrected._

That's the second time I used this hackneyed joke. The first time was in BT.

_They raced to the base of Prisms Peak. The moment they approached, a blizzard came out of nowhere. They tried to push themselves forward but were blown back. There seemed to be some mysterious force preventing them from climbing. Jack pointed out a trail of glowing trees, widely spaced out, leading up the mountain. Cleo trudged back up the base and clung onto the nearest tree (Jack apparently clung onto Cleo). As soon as the wind died down a bit, she hurried to the next tree before it picked up again. After the tedious climb, they reached a cave._

The way they climbed came straight from Chrono Trigger (SNES, 1995). Death Peak located in 2300 AD had to be climbed the same way when trying to reach the summit (you only have to do it at the beginning) and revive Crono with the Time Egg which has the same name as the title.

_The Rune of Iris gave her the ability to throw her sword like a boomerang and absorb whatever color it hit (from the torches)._

Iris: Greek. Iris is a goddess that links Earth to Heaven (or humanity to Olympus to the ancient Greeks). She sails through the sky as a rainbow and can travel from one end of the world to the other and can travel down to the bottom of the sea and the underworld. She is the daughter of Thaumas, the former sea god before Poseidon, and an Oceanid named Electra. Many things were named after her such as a flower, a part of the eye, and even the genus of praying mantises.

_**Arctic Chromatic Centipede:**_  
_**Reinorbaz**_

The boss was inspired by another monster from D&D (Dungeons & Dragons), the Remorhaz. It's also like the monsters from the Tremors movie series (1990-2004).

_"Jack... what do I do?"_

_"I-I do not know!" Jack couldn't do anything. He had managed to protect her once, but he didn't remember how he did it, he just reacted. Think Jack, think! he told himself._

He eventually figures it out at the end.

_"Belay it ya wench!" It was Scervo._

It was originally witch, but I changed it to wench to better suit his pirate speech.

_Dark vapor seeped out of Glacia and flew away with an enraged cry. "It would seem Glacia can no longer be controlled by Veran now that she is unconscious. She is free now."_

When you battle Veran in OoA while she's possessing Queen Ambi, you knock her out with the Mystery Seeds and with the body unconscious, Veran was forced out (then you pull her in with the Switch Hook). In the fanfic, I had to have Scervo come to an unexpected rescue and not hesitate in hitting her. A very convenient event to write down since I was already planning his backstory with his deceased fiancee.

_Unexpectedly, there was a small sign of bitter shock and hurt in Scervo's eyes, Cleo noticed. There was an intense silence as the robot pirate stared hard at her in rageful defiance. "Ya don't know what ya're on about..." His hand flew to his chest, it appeared to be clutching something in his coat. "Ya wouldn't have the gall ter throw judgment... if ya knew what I been through... what I lost."_

For the first time, we see his own more vulnerable side that Cleo manages to expose just like Scervo exposed Cleo's at the last dungeon. In some ways, the two rivals have much in common, both showing arrogance (Cleo's was more subverted), lost loved ones, displaying bravery and honor, and trying to save a community.

_She got the Aurora Stream. The colors of the wind pour into the image and brings beauty to them!_

The Aurora Borealis is usually located in the polar regions, around the Arctic and Antarctic circles. The atmospheric event takes place when plasma from the sun, or solar winds, hits the magnetic points in the planet's fields. Yes the words in the essences' description was from a song in Disney's Pocahontas (1995).

_I have come to retrieve what was once my father's..._

_I know you have... I have been waiting twenty years for your arrival. Welcome... my son..._

_...Mother... I have missed you so..._

_So have I... But our reunion cannot last, for time is short. Evil is almost upon us and only by your hand can we have a future._

_Do you believe I am ready. I do not feel ready..._

_You have been trained by the best from around the word, I know you can do it... I believe in you._

Just like the last memory, this was in a SJ scene with my own dialogue idea thrown in. This is where Jack is briefly reunited with his mother in a Buddha temple hidden in (I think) the Himalayas, where he receives his father's blessed katana that can destroy Aku.

_Cleo approached the box and turned the key a few times. The music that played was so heartswelling, she thought she was going to cry. The couple danced to the slow music as other Snyorgans watched. On a rooftop, in the distance, Scervo was also watching. There was almost a look of envy on his face and he was once again clutching something in his coat, with a gold chain just peeking out. He metaphorically let out a heavy sigh and slinked away into the darkness._

Scervo's hidden appearance was added late. I almost left the whole scene in Snyor village without it when I suddenly thought of writing that in the middle of it.

_"Where's the Thunder Beacon Tower?" Okam repeated after they got back and had asked this curious question of him. "I already know the next essence is there, but how did you find out?"_

_"A robot tipped me."_

_"I do not recall Scervo giving you change," Jack reminded._

_Cleo ignored him. "So what can you tell me about it?"_

_"Well granted, I've never been there so I can only tell you what I've learned from the scrolls. The Thunder Beacon Tower was once the source of power for the robot citizens who lived in the Twilight Realm."_

_"Wait, waddaya mean 'once was'?"_

_"There used to be robots a long time ago, but after it lost it's power, the ancient robots eventually died out. They couldn't live without the life energy it provided and they were left to rust away over the ages."_

_"But Scervo is still around. How is it possible for him to last so long?" Jack asked._

_"...Uh, sorry I'm stumped on that one. Sheesh, you expect me to know everything?" he added rolling his eyes._

The whole backstory involving the Thunder Beacon Tower and Scervo's past gave me a thick writer's block. Throughout the whole TBT part of the quest, my head was full of what ifs and what is missings. I was forced to stop writing altogether at one point after Cleo first arrived at the robot village, because there was so much ill fitted ideas about the tragedy, his old job, how the tower works, and how it all played out, most of which had some holes.

_"If you're ready, I'll take you to the next warp. But listen, before you go..." Okam stood beside Cleo and placed a hand on her shoulder. It felt cold as ice. "I will have to admit that you have great talent as a warrior for such a small tike. Of course you still need Jack for this mission, but I know over time you can become great even with both hands tied behind your back. And I do admire your skill, given the right purpose. I'm hoping after this is all over with, you can work for me? I could use a prodigy like yourself and I can give you whatever you wish for your loyalty. What do you say?"_

_"Uh, that's a pretty nice offer. But I have a life back in my realm and I'm planning on going home afterwards. So I'm gonna have to refuse. Sorry."_

_Okam removed his hand, looking a bit disappointed. But then he smiled. "That's fine, Cleo. But if you ever change your mind, be sure to let me know."_

And of course there's the typical villain's "can't beat 'em, join 'em" persuasion aimed at a gifted hero. Although readers are yet to learn that Okam is the main villain, the way he tried to get Cleo on his side was suspicious in itself and I'm sure Cleo is picking that up as usual.

_"Um... ...um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um... um..."_

This is from SPM where one of the villagers in Flipside was trying to tell Merlon that a princess (specifically Peach) fell from the sky in the exact same way with all the "um, um um"s.

_"SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!" Cleo thought (although she figured it was just her imagination) that she saw a spark of flames on his eyebrows when he yelled._

This is the most obvious hint to Okam's identity to SJ fans while, at the same time, tries to dissuade them a bit with the imagination part.

_"Can't you warp me yourself or levitate that far?" Cleo asked Okam._

_"If I could, we wouldn't need the sol warps in the first place!" He had his arms crossed, one finger tapping as he tried to think of something. "We Twilis can only warp ourselves a short distance and even if I had the energy to carry you there, it would take a coon's age."_

This is actually true in TP. Midna can only teleport you to faraway places you've already been to if there was an existing warp there. But the warp can only be created by shadow beasts that try to ambush you when you arrive there (sometime on only the second visit like the Temple of Time Ruins) and you have to defeat at least the last two at the same time.

_"There you two are." Midna had appeared behind them. "I'm sorry I was so busy. I was having an important discussion with Lord Blumiere."_

Midna was referring to a character in SPM, also famously known as Count Bleck.

_"Mid, do you have any ideas on what we should do?"_

_"Again with the nickname?" Okam asked shortly._

_The princess placed her fingers to her forehead in thought. "...If we can't warp or fly you there, the only other way would be to fling you. But a place that far, we need a huge strong thrust."_

_"Like a giant slingshot?"_

_"Yes exactly. But such a feat is dangerous."_

_"Dangerous or not, she doesn't have a choice. Besides, she won't mind getting hurt. Right Cleo?"_

_"Uh... maybe a little?" Cleo said tentatively. But Okam grinned rather impishly in response and the next thing she knew, she was smack dab in a makeshift slingshot he built himself with cushions strapped to her body and head and Jack clinging to her. "It's official, you're pure evil!"_

_"Oh hush up! Just close your eyes and pretend it's a roller coaster." He grabbed the back of her with his hair and pulled back as far as the band could go. "Are you ready?"_

_"Can't I go to the bathroom first?" A pause and then... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh~~"_

_"Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't suggested it!" Midna groaned._

_"I'm sure she'll be fine." Okam conjured a telescope and watched Cleo soar away and crash into the sand. She wasn't moving. Oh gosh! I hope I didn't kill her! he thought. Midna had her hands over her mouth in distress._

_Cleo was lying on the ground, gritty with sand and covered in down from the shredded cushions. "Cleo, are you all right?!" Jack asked urgently._

_"... ...That old man's going to be the death of me. I just know it..."_

This is the funniest moment (besides Finn's interlude) in the most serious fanfic I've written so far. Although it's sorta like the scene in WW (Wind Waker) with Link in Tetra's catapult at the Forbidden Fortress, I'm still pretty pleased at how it turned out.

_There was not a trace of life, yet there were people here. She approached someone and could see how inactive he was. It was a robot like the ones she had met in the observatory and, like them, was long dead._

_"It is strange... I feel so sad for these robots... but I do not think this is the first time I had such a feeling..."_

_"Have you met robots before?" Cleo asked._

_"...Yes... I am sure I did... countless times..."_

In the cartoon, there had to be a _lot_ of robots (sometime flesh and blood looking ones with machine inside) for a good reason. Genndy didn't what a samurai chopping up people, even aliens, in a kids show.

_There was a painting still hanging on the wall, but lopsided. On it was a beautiful robotic woman standing next to someone else, but a wide tear prevented Cleo from seeing the other robot's face. She walked closer to try and adjust the tear so she could see who it was when she heard a faint creak._

This bit was from Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991).

_She quickly looked down at her feet and tapped the floor. She bent down._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"This floorboard is loose." From her past experience, Cleo could tell that the sound she'd heard was from something hollow._

In fact, it was the very thing that started it all for Cleo. It revealed the Hylian Travel Guide and lead her to her first adventure in MTG.

_She felt something and pulled it out, it was a letter. There was nothing written on the envelope, but she could tell it wasn't empty. "It's never been open. I wonder what's inside?..."_

_"Cleo, we cannot waste any time here."_

_"Look who's talking. You're the one who wanted to check out the place." She knew that something tragic had happened here a long time ago and she had a feeling that this letter was important. She put it in her backpack, deciding to read it later._

Although she (or we readers) never saw what was written in the letter. This is something, I think, should be private for Scervo. In the Spiderwick Chronicles (2003-2009), Arthur Spiderwick, who had lived agelessly in Farie beyond his natural lifetime, whispered something to his now elderly daughter before stepping on mortal ground and turning to dust, and it was never revealed what he had said.

_After leaving the house, she looked over towards a large bed of loose earth surrounded by what was left of the fence, where there used to be a garden. She wondered what grew there once._

I'm not sure you made the connection, but the seed and Scervo's mention of Sparklette's love of Ancient Flowers would reveal exactly what grew there.

_"So ya came lass. Good... Welcome ter the Tormenta Arena. This is where we will have our fight ter the finish."_

The name Tormenta Arena is actually the name of a pokemon move. It's the Spanish version of sandstorm (Rock type, status move). I was lucky to come across that bit of trivia.

_"We're the Trojan Horse Gang," said the most sinister looking robot. Cleo figured he must be the leader. "And I am LD-053D Dreadfuse!"_

The name Trojan Horse was from the famous war between Greece and the city of Troy found in Turkey. The Greeks sent their soldiers into the city inside a wooden horse. It's also the name of a computer virus, a type of malware program. For the gang leader, like with Veran, I was planning an OC but again just used another official character from the Zelda series. Dreadfuse was a reskin counterpart to Scervo in Skyward Sword and the 053 model in the fanfic is a descendant to the 003.

_"She ordered us to stop you from gathering the Essences of Light," Dreadfuse admitted with pride. "We just had to cut out the power in those warps in order to corner you."_

_"You did WHAT?!" Cleo squeaked in shock. "So you're the one who took one of the sols and forced me to be flung face first into the sand?!"_

I wasn't sure at first who might have stolen the sol, when I wrote in the giant slingshot scene for the lolz. It wasn't until I got to the gangs appearance that I decided they would be Veran's hired mercenaries commanded to take it.


	32. Bonus 4

_"Gangway!" Scervo urged her back. "I'm driving!" He got the bike up and mounted. "Well, climb aboard!" Cleo and Jack climbed on behind the pirate and the bike shot forward. Cleo pulled her hat down tightly so it wouldn't fly off. She could see the gang chasing them. They let loose the ribbon walls, they were planning to cross Scervo's path and cause him to crash up. He wildly swerved out of their way, trying to avoid hitting the walls._

This is inspired from Light-Cycle games in Disney's Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010). The Grid, a computer world with programs as people, looks a bit like the Twilight Realm, so it was an obvious choice to write in the Light-Cycles. An old idea was for Scervo to challenge Cleo to a race, but I changed the idea to the Trojan Horse Gang interfering a duel between them that Cleo chooses not to participate in and the interference lead them to work together. I found that to be more powerful than the old idea.

_Eleven fell and now only Dreadfuse was left. He launched out sets of four pikes, planted in squares, all over the area. "What the heck is he doing?" Cleo asked in confusion. "He's not hitting us."_

_It turned out that they were not designed as ammo. There were flashing lights with a beeping sound on the top of the pikes that went faster and faster until... the pikes sunk down in a jerk and a surge of electricity shot down into the ground. There was a huge __**CRACK!**__ as loud as the thunder and, as fast as lightning, huge square earthen pillars shot upwards. They were rising up all around them way too fast and Scervo made sharp wild turns to avoid a nasty crash and both Cleo and Jack wailed._

I wanted to include another feature in the Light-Cycles (or some other avoidance game), and I came up with this rather overpowered weapon. I had trouble describing it in minute detail.

_"Sparklette... Was that her name?"_

I really don't have much to say about the name other than it's a random robot name idea.

_Scervo reached into a pocket and pulled out a small stone. "Cleo, ye have earned this." He gave her the rune which read Draconequus._

Draconequus, Discord, Chimera: Equestrian. The Draconequus was invented by Hasbro for MLP: FIM (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic). It is a new mythological creature with "the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things". The only known member is Discord, the master of chaos and disharmony. Lauren Faust created the villain inspired from the character Q from Star Trek: the Next Generation (1987-1994). The people working on the cartoon were originally planning to find a voice actor who sounds like John de Lancie (who played as Q) and ended up, to their thrill, with de Lancie himself. I created the rune's purpose before naming it and couldn't, at first, think of any mythological subject relating to gravity or anti-gravity, until I remembered Discord, who can easily defy the laws of physics with a snap of his claws.

_"Ya'll be needing a password if ye are ter revive the tower. The password is BENDROWNED."_

This is from a popular creepypasta story involving a cursed MM game. Someone bought a used game pak of MM from a garage sale and brought it home to play it. He found a save file titled Ben, ignored it, and started a new game. It was when things start to get _VERY WEIRD_. He starts in a random place in the game instead of in the opening cutscene, the NPCs kept calling him Ben, even though it was his own file he's playing, music plays backwards half the time, the creepy Link statue repeatedly appears without the Elegy of Emptiness played. Feeling freaked out, he deleted the "Ben" file, only for it to return on its own later along with a new file "drowned". After that, the freaky glitches became more erratic and scary, the worst being his character randomly bursting into flames following the message "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?". The urban legend suggests that the original owner, a little kid named Ben, had died tragically by drowning and his soul is inhabiting the game pak.

_After going through the next opening, she found a chest containing the Rune of Mjolnir, giving the sword an electric surge and creating a clawshot to use on magnetic targets._

Mjolnir: Norse. Mjolnir is a legendary hammer wielded by Thor, the God of Thunder. Mjolnir is pronounced with a y instead of a j as it's from one of those Germanic languages. Ancient Vikings wore stone or metal pendents and amulets in the shape of a hammer, most likely to give them strength and courage. It's almost a religious symbol (looking similar to a cross), its image etched in rocks, shields, and other things in the old countries. Thor isn't just a mythological figure, he also became a superhero in the Marvel Comics, and his character was rewritten by Stan Lee (Dec 28, 1922).

_Cleo input BENDROWNED when it required the password and a Timeshift Orb as big as a large beach ball appeared from the floor. It gave off a field covering one hundred feet in diameter and restoring the power within that field. She heaved it in her arms and an alarm sounded, revealing a Sphere Master (a floating hand that guarded the orb). She had to race against it in a nerve wracking game of keep away. She placed it in a vertical conveyer lift and rode up with it. Then she was forced to leave it on the floor, climb higher, and grab the orb with Mjolnir from the upper floors._

In TP, when entering the Twilight Realm, you have to retrieve the two sols to lift the curse off the Twili citizens. But you have to get it from Zant's Hand and get it out of the Palace of Twilight before the hand grabs it back. It will slowly follow you, even through doors, until you're finally outside. I named this hand in the fanfic the Sphere Master, after the key masters in Spirit Tracks (DS, 2009).

_**Magnetic Scarab:**_  
_**Keprai**_

Again, another fusion. Keprai is from the name Khepri, an Egyptian god symbolizing the scarab and the word rai, which means thunder in Japanese. I didn't bother hiding the fact that the boss is a robot.

The next scene that will display is a deleted scene and didn't make it into the story.

_Cleo went to retrieve her shield when the oil suddenly began moving on its own. "What in the world?!" She got her sword ready but the black thing was slithering away. "Where do you think you're going?" She chased after it but tripped over a metal plate. By the time she got back up, the shadowy amoeba disappeared. "What kind of oil was that?" She asked, astonished._

_"...That was not oil..."_

_"Was it Veran?"_

_"No... this is different... I do not know, but somehow... I know it is something else entirely, something not of this realm. Whatever it is... it is much more sinister and evil than what we are currently facing..."_

_Cleo was baffled from Jack's words. Was there really something else out there, something even worse than Veran? If it came from within a robot beetle from Veran's army, could that mean the thing was part of her plan, or was it there without her knowledge?_

The reason I completely dropped this scene is because it didn't make sense, story-wise. Aku still needed Cleo to gather the Essences of Light, so why put a bit of himself in Keprai to kill her? As much as it didn't work out, it's still fun to read, so I saved it for the bonus chapter.

_She got the Sprite Cloud. The power of nature creates a spark of life and surges through the image!_

Sprites are a type of lightning that are red in color and are shaped vaguely conical like a jellyfish, carrots or columns and topped with a halo. The aura-like clusters are found way high up above thunderstorms, somewhere in the upper atmosphere (near space) so they are rarely seen.

_...sigh..._

_What's wrong Mr. Jack? Are you okay?_

_... ..._

_Here, you can have my ice cream if it will make you feel better._

_You are very generous child, but I cannot take it from you._

_It's okay. I can get another one._

_...Thank you..._

_I know why you're sad. You lost something didn't you. I know, because I lost something too, all the orphans did._

_It is not just something, it is everything. One time I thought for sure I was going to save my homeland and free my people. I fought a battle I thought would be my final one... but that victory was snatched away from me along with everything I held dear... And I let my family down..._

_...I'm sorry..._

_There is no need to be sorry. I have not given up hope, nor will I ever. No matter how much this evil has taken hold of this world, there will always be a small bit of light that will never go out. You are living proof of that my friend._

_You'll free us all Jack. I know you will... I believe in you..._

This is the first memory taking place in the future Jack was flung to. This is the longest memory written besides the last one. Here we read about his past in less-vague detail without giving too much away. I cannot say who the child is, or whether it's a human, alien, or robot.

_"Many Scervos before me had done so since the 002S model who built it after his banishment into the Twilight Realm."_

He briefly mentions the same Scervo that appeared in Skyward Sword. It revealed he had somehow ended up in the Twilight Realm after his defeat on the Sandship.

_"Where do you think you're going, you brat?" said a wheezing mechanical voice. Cleo spun round, immediately recognizing that voice but couldn't believe it, even as she stared shocked at the still smoldering form of Dreadfuse._

_"You're dead!" she shouted exasperatedly._

_"Not yet... Not until you start pushing up daisies first!"_

_"How is gardening a punishment?" Jack asked._

_"Jack, it means he's going to kill us!" Cleo corrected._

_"I'm going to enjoy this! Granted, he won't be too pleased when you're gone, but he'll still have the essences nonetheless."_

_"Wait a minute! Who's 'he'?"_

_"I'll tell you... after I drag you down to Hell with me!" Dreadfuse opened his coat, revealing bombs tied to his body, they had been lit. Knowing they couldn't outrun the blast in time, the pair dove toward the warp. They heard the loud blast and felt the heat and they both disintegrated... into black particles flying through the warp._

_After they reappeared back in Castle Town, Cleo said in a shaky voice "Now I know he's dead!"_

This was another idea I had as sudden as Dreadfuse's appearance. And it helped provide certain information telling Cleo there's someone else other than Veran to worry about (an alternative to the deleted scene).

_After some wandering around and asking some Twilis, she came to a room Okam was said to be in._

_As she approached, she overheard his voice and it sounded irritated. "...I gave you the information needed, just do it!" Cleo went in. She could see Okam talking to a light blue stone she recognized as a gossip stone. For a brief moment she thought she heard Midna's voice coming from the stone, but the tone didn't sound right, it sounded harsh. The elder Twili suddenly realized Cleo was there and he quickly threw it in a drawer which fused into the wall. He turned to her looking aggravated. "Don't you knock?"_

_"Well... I'm back and I'm just wondering where I can find-"_

_"Green Flash, Midnight Hollow," he said shortly. "And I'm busy right now."_

_"What's eating you?"_

_"Why, does he have fleas?" Jack wondered._

_Okam gave them a glare to rival that of a charging bull's. "Both of you, out!"_

_"Whoa! If you stare at me any harder, your eyebrows will catch on fire again!"_

_"I SAID GET OUT!" Okam grabbed a vase and both Cleo and Jack ran for it, the pot thrown at her narrowly missed her head._

This is my favorite in between dungeons scene. Although I didn't yet know when it would take place in the fanfic, it's one of the few scenes that was planned ahead, since most of the story was practically written off the top of my head (whereas, MTG and BT had whole plot points made before I even wrote the very first paragraph of the fanfics). Aku's "GREAT FLAMING EYEBROWS" was hinted at again here. Also, the gossip stone was kinda random, I couldn't think of how else Okam was communicating with Veran when Cleo accidentally walked in on their private conversation.

_Cleo quickly looked around the corner where she had come from. She lowered her voice. "I'm going to get the next essence. While I'm away, I need you to keep a close eye on Okam."_

_Midna looked confused. "That's a very odd request. What are you getting at?"_

_"...I had this suspicion for awhile, but... I wasn't sure at first... Listen, I think... I think it's possible that Okam might be a traitor... and he's secretly working for Veran."_

_"Cleo, that's a very serious accusation," Midna gasped. "Are you sure?"_

_"Not entirely... I just have this gut feeling... That's why I'm asking you to spy on him."_

After all the clues Cleo managed to pick up, she finally catches on to Okam's suspicious behavior. Knowing she has an enemy in their midst, she turns to the first person she trusts, Midna, for help.

_"...All right... I trust your judgment. I'll keep an eye on him for you and send a messenger to let you know first hand if I find anything suspicious."_

And that messenger ended up being Finn.

_"Allow me to escort you to the last warp."_

_"...The last? I thought I was going for the second to last Essence of Light."_

_"The last two destinations are actually on the same floating island. I looked at the scroll myself, it said the Green Flash is in Midnight Hollow and the Eclipse Ring is in the Blue Crater Volcano. Since those places happen to be close to one another, it would be faster to get both of the Essences on the same roundabout trip."_

I kinda ran out of ideas for Cleo's interactions with Midna and Okam so I had to have her away for both of the last two essences.

_After appearing from the warp, they found themselves in a forest that strongly reminded Cleo of Boggly Woods from another game she had played._

The Boggly Woods was in Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door (GC, 2004).

_They soon arrived at some kind of hut village in a wide, hollow. The inhabitants were the most interesting she'd seen so far, they were raptor-like, in shape, but they seemed to be more flora than fauna. Their bodies looked to be made of a wooden pith covered in thin bark, the exterior of them were twigs, leaves, maybe flowers (but they were all sadly drooping)._

Midnight Hollow was named after a downloadable world for Sims 3 (PC, 2009) (no, the place in the fanfic looks nothing like the one in the game). The Drabokos are a combination of draco, meaning dragon, and Boko Babas, a plant enemy from WW. Seriously, what's with me and all those name combinations?!

_"What are you doing back here?" said an angry voice. The oldest looking one of the village (must be the chief she thought) stepped out of the crowd. "How dare you show your face again!"_

_"What are you talking about? I wasn't here before!" Cleo explained._

_"Don't lie to us! We are not fools, you're the one who brought this terrible plague upon the Drabokos and all of Midnight Hollow!"_

_"What?! How could you think such a thing?!"_

_"Because you told us so yourself. When we suddenly fell ill with a sickness that spread and killed so many trees and some of my people, you came and confessed to us of your horrid crime, laughing so cruelly as we were slowly dying! You're a vile monster, dooming us all to rot away just because it amuses you!"_

_Cleo was at a loss for words. She'd never felt so wrongly accused so unexpectedly._

Since Cleo had never been framed before, I suddenly thought about it and decided to add it the her entire list of predicaments she'd had in all three stories. She's quite a trouble magnet.

_"I was about to ask who might have the sorcery to take on your appearance. But I am guessing now that it is Veran again."_

_"Duh! Of course she can take on someone else's appearance, I saw Midna do that once to amuse herself."_

That little scene with Midna is in (where else?) TP. I also later used that idea near the end of the fanfic.

_"There be a simple solution. The fertile volcanic soil from Subrosia."_

And I threw in a random official Zelda location Cleo must go to out of the blue at the end of a chapter. More on that in the next trivia.

_"Subrosia? I'm sorry, but I'm not up to such a long trip and I doubt the Drabokos will last much longer."_

_"What are ya blatherin' about? Subrosia is just a hop and a skip away."_

_Cleo's eyes widened. "Oh, really? It's actually in the Twilight Realm?"_

_"Yes, what cha expect?"_

_Cleo, having played Oracle of Seasons, felt wrong-footed. She didn't know the place was part of this realm._

The fanfic explains the game Subrosia comes from. A volcanic area being the most difficult environment for Cleo to tackle (in video game terms), I decided to add that official place as a part of the Twilight Realm. Besides Twilis, the Subrosians are the only race I didn't invent.

_"But how does volcanic soil help?"_

_"Because volcanic soil is very valuable for plant life," Jack voluntarily answered. Cleo and Scervo both looked at him. "What? It is. I know because I once lived in a country lined with mostly dormant volcanoes."_

Jack's info about his own home gives readers an idea of where he might have come from.

_"A stranger!" One said in excitement._

_"A very strange stranger, indeed," said another._

_"I've never seen a Draboko like that before," said a third._

_"I don't think it's a Draboko," replied the second._

_"It doesn't look like it came from around here," said a fourth._

_"Why is there a floating fire following it? Now I want one! Do you keep them as pets?"_

_"I think it's some weird looking pale Twili."_

_"I think I saw another one just like this one, near another mirror portal almost a month ago, except that one was tall, a little more broad, and wore white robes."_

In that mess of gossip over Cleo, I slipped in a crucial bit of info that might catch readers attention, telling them there is another Mirror of Twilight and that another human came from it (even the description was major into for anyone who watched SJ). That info would point to Jack.

_She reached out and grabbed the new rune, it read Futen._

Futen, Fujin: Japanese. The rune was originally named Oroshi which is a Japanese term for a strong wind. I was stupid to think it had anything to do with mythology, so I changed it to Futen after the god of the wind. Futen is not very well known (considering the Wiki article didn't have much to say about Fujin) other than he is the brother to Raijin, the god of storms.

_"My name's Squurall and I own all these windmills."_

Squurall is from the word squall which is a sudden violent gust of wind. I can't exactly remember (I was on a short vacation while I was writing this part on my notebook), but I think the other word I used for the name is Ura, the original Japanese name for Subrosian.

_Cleo went right to work, using Futen to summon the wind and get each of the ten windmills moving. It wasn't as easy as it looked as she had to twirl her sword at just the right speed (not too fast or too slow) so the sails would move, and properly._

Can't exactly make it as easy as you'd think.

_"Why are we doing this?" one of them asked his partner. "The tree is dying, what is the point of this? We're all going to die."_

_"We need to have more faith in our sacred tree. It hasn't failed us yet, we have always depended on it for its life giving protection," the second sighed with a wheeze. "If we can only hold onto the hope that it will pull through, it gives us enough reason to protect it."_

Here we see that the Drabokos possess a religion they depend a little too much on. This adds to the complication to Cleo's problem even after she manages to cure the Tree of Dusk. The tree is sentient in a way, true, but it's not a god, no different from the Great Deku Tree in OoT (and we know what happens to it).

_They ran down the path that led to their destination until they were standing before a trunk so massive, you could fit an entire dungeon inside it. And she had a feeling that was exactly what it was going to be._

Half the time, I misnamed it the Tree of Dawn instead of Tree of Dusk like it's supposed to be called (and I had already planned to name the final dungeon the Altar of Dawn, making things even more confusing). I had to comb through all the chapters involving the last two destinations for the mistakes and correct them, in every copy, online, main computer, notebook, which is a hassle.

_After reappearing in the hall, she looked both ways to see where he'd gone and saw a shadow disappearing around a corner to her left. She quietly followed it. Okam looked around him and continued his nighttime stroll. Midna followed him carefully, trying not to get caught, turning into a shadow whenever he looked back. He was looking over his shoulder more often than necessary, which seemed suspicious. He clearly didn't want to be observed._

_But the weirdest thing she noticed was not his strange behavior, it was his shadow. It... didn't look right, it didn't even look like him, it looked like something else, something tall and angular, with rows of chevron shaped extensions on the head, pointing upwards. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but Midna felt goose-bumps when she saw it._

The shadow is showing his real shape. A little insight to who Okam really is or, to anyone who didn't watch SJ, what he might look like.

_"You know full well she cannot survive without that lost spirit."_

_"Yes, that's the problem. Jack is the reason she's still alive, which is why you should've taken him out first. He is a danger to my plan... as he always has been."_

_"...Are you saying you actually know him?"_

_"Let's just say Jack and I go way back."_

And here we learn that Okam and Jack are connected, both of them sharing the same past, and showing that Okam was somehow responsible for what happened to Jack.

_He suddenly whipped around and shot lasers right out of his eyes, smashing the pot. Midna was thrown from the shadow, now exposed._

I don't know if Twilis can shoot lasers from their eyes, most likely not. Aku seems to favor using his powers with his eyes, but since TP fans cannot know whether or not Twilis can do that, it's not much of a hint for his identity.

_"Did you really think you were the one in charge, Sparkling Vampire Princess?"_

I know, I know! The first thing you most likely thought when you read this is "I see what you did there!"

_"Haven't you figured it out by now? I have been the one in control all along... I have already won." Then he let out a terrible, demonic, echoing cackle that was unlike his own elderly voice. His appearance began to change before her very eyes and she looked horrified._

The whole interlude had a few small plot twists involving Okam. This is the biggest one. Turns out Veran isn't the big bad after all.

_She found a chest containing the Rune of Viridi._

Viridi: Nintendo. Like the Draconequus, Viridi is a very recent Mythological invention. She is the Goddess of Nature from the game Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS, 2012). She has an animosity toward the human race, believing them to be selfish, greedy, and disrespectful to the Earth. She at first, hates Pit for stopping her reset bombs from wiping out humanity, but when greater evil threatens the whole world, she decided to help him out. She may even have a secret crush on Pit.

_She went through another maze with shadow babas in her way, requesting certain tree fruits to let her pass. After delivering the right fruit to each of them, she found the big key. Now that she was at the top, way above the web covered hole, she took a brave leap and fell hard and fast, breaking through the web and landing in strangely purple water._

The first part is from MM, where underneath the Ikana Canyon Well, you have to wear a gibdo's mask to talk with the gibdos (mummies) and give them consumable items to get past them in the maze-like caverns. The second part is from OoT where you make the same leap through the web inside the Deku Tree.

_**Necro Arachnid:**_  
_**Staltula**_

*Sigh* Yet again another fusion. This time a stalfos and a skulltulla. As I'm pretty sure you noticed, the battle that took place was inspired by the popular game Plants vs. Zombies (Various platforms, starting from 2009). There used to be baby staltulas attacking both in main dungeon and boss battle, but I completely changed them to zombies to make the fight even more like the game. I did notice that Cleo didn't seem to be afraid of them, redeads and gibdos are her greatest fears. Maybe this is because she's specifically scared of only those two kinds of undead and the zombies in the Twilight Realm aren't either of them. Because of its popularity and how there are so many cameos and easter eggs in other games, I'm surprised there isn't a PvZ movie coming (I _so_ wish there would be).

_She got the Green Flash. The first glimpse of verdant light shines upon the lost and awakens their soul!_

The green flash is from another rare phenomenon, happening while the sun is on the horizon. When the sky shows the very first ray of sunlight in the morning or the very last ray in the evening, that light flashes green for only a couple of seconds. You can only see it when the horizon isn't obscured by trees and such, so a beach with an ocean or over cloud tops on a mountain peak are the best places to see it (although I recommend an ocean, as mountain climbing isn't as safe as walking on a beach).

_So you are from the distant past, I see?_

_Yes... I was told that you alone know the secret location of a hidden portal through time._

_You were told correctly._

_I am in desperate need of it... The entire world is depending on me. I must get right back to that very battle I fought all those eons ago and finally finish what I started. Once I do, all the evil he has caused will vanish and history will change for the greater good._

_I have been waiting my whole life for the warrior who had been lost through time. I warn you Jack, the path ahead will be dangerous._

_I know... I am used to that..._

_Very well, I will point the way... it is time to fulfill your destiny._

This is to reveal to readers that Jack was flung from his own time into the future just as the story in the cartoon series told. I wonder if SJ fans are starting to catch on to the surprise crossover plot twist by now?

_The whole village was there waiting for Cleo and it didn't seemed that their attitude had improved. "This has gone far enough!" It was the chief who shouted. "First you plague us, then you enter the tree without permission! What have you done this time?!"_

_"I just saved all your lives!" Cleo still couldn't believe that they were all still falsely accusing her. "I cleared the spring, damn it! It's filled with medicine now, you just need to drink it!"_

_No one appeared convinced, however. "Where's your proof? Your words alone can't trick us into trusting you!"_

_"Can't you see what's in front of you, the tree is healed now! Just look at it!"_

_"The Tree of Dusk is special!" one of the Drabokos spoke up. "It has always protected us, it has never failed us before! We have always believed it will find a way to heal itself, you have no involvement in this! The Tree of Dusk has defied you!" Many of the others nodded and murmured in agreement._

_"Will you please use your common sense!" Cleo shouted in exasperation. "No living thing can adapt against a foreign disease this fast, not even this one! IT'S JUST A TREE!"_

_"Cleo, that is not wise!" Jack warned, urgently._

_"I say we drown her in the river if she thinks it's safe!"_

It just goes to show you how blind religion can make people. Even Christianity is no exception, God is never what we imagined him to be, because we can't know what he's really like (and the Bible is not proof of anything about him). He could be a she for all we know, it's possible. This scene reflects the people who relied on only religion for explanations and the results are not always good.

_"WAAAAAAIIIIIIT!" Suddenly, a Subrosian pushed his way through the crowd until he managed to stand between Cleo and all of Midnight Hollow. "You have to listen to her! Cleo is innocent, she's telling the truth!" Cleo realized it was Squurall._

_"Get out of the way, Subrosian! This is none of your concern!"_

_"But it's true! She did use a special herbal medicine on the spring! I know because I'm the one who gave it to her." The Drabokos now looked confused, they started whispering to each other. "I make the medicine with the windmills in Subrosia. The moment Cleo learned about what happened here, she came to me asking for help. She was trying like crazy to find you all a cure!"_

I knew I had to have Squurall come to the rescue and it redeemed him from his earlier cowardice.

_"Chief, you have to get everyone mobilized and evacuate!"_

_"Even if you are telling the truth, we cannot abandon the Tree of Dusk. We just can't!"_

_"You don't have a choice! You'll all die if you stay put."_

_But the chief shook his head. "You simply don't understand. It may be just a tree to you, but it's far more precious to us than that. We won't abandon it."_

I did justify the Drabokos' reasons for their defiance, not because they believe it would save them, but because _they're_ trying to save _it_.

_She tried to wrack her brains for any other rune she had that might stop the fire. Nothing came up. Then she remembered the Rune of Shenlong._

Shenlong, Shen-lung, Shenron: Chinese. Its name meaning "spirit dragon", it is said to be the master of storms and bringer of rain. Unlike the European dragons that were considered evil and dangerous, especially in the medieval era, the Asian dragons (or Lungs) were revered as sacred and holy. Although they need to be respected, because offending them could bring bad weather, from droughts to great floods. Shenlong was a symbol of royalty in the imperial dynasty, embroidering architecture, decor, clothing and so on. It also became the inspiration for the wish granting Eternal Dragon from the Dragon Ball series (1984-2009 overall versions).


	33. Bonus 5

_She began blasting away at the fire, trying to put it all out. But because of her blunder, it was proving difficult. The fire was spreading as fast as Cleo was fighting it, if not faster. She was beginning to think that this was a lost battle when all of the Drabokos suddenly appeared. With buckets in hand, they joined the fight, they were helping her out. With everyone working together, they were able to put an end to the forest fire._

This whole volcano disaster had been the final trial of proving Cleo's innocence after the whole dreadful accusation she was forced to endure. It was my conclusion to create some sort of epic trigger that causes the Drabokos to decide to help out Cleo when she's been trying so hard to save everyone, so she's suddenly not alone. Scientific studies showed that people are capable of altruism during a major crisis instead of just trying to save their own skins, despite humanity's imperfect morals.

_"Feast yer eyes on this!" Scervo pointed with his hook and Cleo gaped at what she saw. There was another Mirror of Twilight, opened and surrounded by the giant insects. Then a beetle was spat out of the mirror. It stood up and joined its fellows._

_"So that's where they're coming from! I knew they couldn't be from the Twilight Realm!"_

_"But that portal... Where does that portal lead?" asked Jack._

_"I doubt it goes to Hyrule, there's no way they came from there. It's got to be some other world."_

_"I say we blast that mirror ter kingdom come!" Scervo suggested._

_Cleo shook her head. "You don't know what you're talking about! Only the true ruler of the Twilight Realm can utterly destroy it and that's Midna. But we don't have time to fetch her!"_

_"It is strange... I think I have seen this portal before... ...but I thought it was..." Jack trailed off._

_"Are you alright, Jack?"_

_"... ...It is nothing... not important now."_

And here is the portal briefly mentioned by the group of gossiping Subrosians. Jack was about to mention what happened the last time he came across it, how he once thought it to be a time portal, but because his memory isn't fully recovered yet, he wasn't able to. The last memory coming after the Eclipse Ring reveals it. The fact about the true ruler of the Twilight Realm being able to destroy the mirror is an official fact. Zant, being a false ruler could only break it into fragments in TP and it can easily be repaired, if you can find all the pieces.

_It took Finn forever to get to the Arbiter's Grounds. The Oasis Flight was canceled due to the cannon being out of order, so he had to take the long way. It was worthwhile if he could rescue Cleo, he just hoped that he would never have to rock climb again as long as he lived._

Normally in TP, the Oasis Flight is the only way to get to the Gerudo Desert (besides the Twilit Portal) after you give Auru's Memo to Fyer. I had to have Finn take the hard way so he doesn't come to the Mirror of Twilight too soon. It was important to have him come near the very end when Midna is in trouble and needed help from someone without Okam's knowledge.

_He ran inside the building, hurrying to the throne room. "Princess Midna!" He called out when he reached it, but there was no Midna on the throne. There was someone else. "What the-?"_

_A strange short old Twili was sitting in her place. He seemed surprised by Finn's sudden appearance. "Hm?... What's this? An unexpected guest?"_

_"Who the hell are you?!"_

_"I? I am Okam, the new King of Twilight."_

_"New Ki-Well, where's Midna?"_

_"Midna, unfortunately has retired and therefore placed me as her successor to the throne." Finn was flabbergasted by this news, leaving him speechless. "Now do you care to explain why you're barging into my palace, uninvited?"_

_It took a few seconds for Finn to get his voice working again and to remember what he came here for. "...Well... you see sir... I'm looking for my sister. Her name is Cleo Hayster."_

_"...Cleo?"_

_"Yeah, she's about yay high, blond hair, wears a green uniform."_

_"Mm... ...Never heard of her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important matters to deal with."_

_"Hey! Now wait a second! I don't know what's going on, but something just ain't right here! I need to talk to Midna right now!"_

_"Well, too bad, 'cuz you're not going to get an audience with Midna... ever. Now get lost before I lose my temper."_

_"Now look old man! I'm trying to find my sister!"_

_"Then you're just gonna have to look somewhere else." Finn heard a weird mechanical scuttling and he was unexpectedly grabbed by skinny stick legs. "Bye-bye!" Okam waved with a smug grin._

_Finn was cursing non-stop as he was carried to the exit. Then he was lifted up. "Not agAAAAAAAIIIIIIN!" Finn was thrown out._

This scene where Finn gets an unexpected meeting with Okam was also planned ahead. Before Midna could call him for help, Finn had to meet Okam first so he gets the idea that something's up. I thought his personal experience with the pretender helps Finn become more aware of the possible danger he was oblivious of before than if he was just told about him. And of course Okam acts like a jerk and refuses to help him, throwing him out instead, because he knew Finn was going to get in the way. Poor Finn just can't get a break.

_"That Uka or whatever his name is... I don't think he's a king!" He rubbed his sore shoulder. "Now what am I gonna do?"_

_"Finn... Finn..." Finn quickly looked around him, but there seemed to be no one here. "Finn, can you hear me?"_

_"Yeah... I'm definitely hearing things!"_

_"Listen to me, Finn! I need your help, the Twilight Realm is in danger."_

_"Wait, I know that voice! Midna, is that you? What's going on? Where's Cleo? How are you talkin-"_

_"Will you slow down already?! There's not much time, so I'm going to be quick about it. First off, I'm trapped in a dungeon, with a seal that prevents me from teleporting out."_

But it doesn't stop her from talking to Finn telepathically, as you can most likely tell from the italics in her dialogue (if you're reading it in Fanfic dot net, they don't appear in Deviant Art, the method there is stupidly ridiculous). If you're wondering how she knew Finn was there, she probably heard him from downstairs with her long pointy ears or sensed him in some other way.

_"What?! That Okam guy said you're retired!"_

_"That is a lie! Okam is the one who trapped me here. He has overthrown me and taken over the palace."_

_"Oh great! That's just Zant all over again!"_

One of the Deviants from DA actually thought it was Zant who was behind the Okam guise. Never seen SJ, she was a bit taken aback when she found out it wasn't.

_She looked back, expecting to see someone coming, but no one was there. "I do not think Scervo will be coming with us, Cleo."_

_"But Jack, he-"_

_"Knows how to handle himself," Jack finished. "He is quite wily, I will admit. He reminds me of a friend of mine."_

He was referring to the hilarious Scotsman he once fought and then befriended. I'll admit Cleo's adventuring is similar to Jack's.

_"He's cuckoo, that's what he is!" Cleo said rotating her hand next to her ear._

_"Um... does that mean he has a clock in his head?"_

_Cleo gave him an exasperated look. "Oh, really?"_

A reference to Freakazoid (1995-1997). Lol!

_Then she met some Subrosians who were working as blacksmiths. They told her that the big key to the crater was broken and a new one was yet to be made._

I didn't put it in, but this is most likely the best source for a stronger shield. There's always shield upgrades in pretty much every Zelda game, but the reason I didn't write it in was because it's not necessarily important to waste reading time on.

_They gave her the Rune of Pele that had the power to control lava._

Pele: Hawaiian. Pele is the goddess of volcanoes, one of many sibling deities of nature. She's mostly known for her passion and capriciousness and dwells in the crater of Kilauea. The Hibiscus, which she wears as a lei, symbolizes romantic relationships in Hawaii and is traditionally worn by women behind the ears and the kukui nuts worn as bracelets are about protection and peace on Maui. There are many different story versions behind Pele. People often leave gifts to the goddess at or in the volcano so as to appease her and avoid an eruption.

_The Blue Crater Volcano lived up to its name, the bottom of the crater in which the duo was standing was surrounded by a ring of glowing blue lava._

In scientific terms, blue fire is hotter than regular red fire. It's probably not possible for lava to be blue, no matter how hot it gets. But this is a magical realm so the logic doesn't have to apply.

_"Who are you working for?" Cleo asked suddenly._

_"...What are you talking about?"_

_"I'm not stupid you know. You're not the mastermind behind this whole invasion. I saw the other portal where the bugs are coming from. They came from somewhere, you couldn't have just stumbled upon them. Someone provided you this army and helped you invade this realm!"_

Cleo, the smart girl that she is, just now realizes there's a bigger bad she'll have to deal with after she defeats Veran. She just didn't yet know it's Okam.

_**Sorceress of Shadows:**_  
_**Veran**_

I planned from the beginning to have Veran to be the second to last boss, what I didn't plan is she would possess Scervo. There was another idea that Scervo would ask for a proper, more rival-friendly rematch with Cleo before she entered the volcano. But it didn't serve any purpose to the plot and readers would want to get on with the story itself. The idea of the sorceress taking control of the pirate and forcing Cleo to fight him was a sudden and better idea.

_"Cleo, I think I know what to do now. I have heard tales of floating spirits being able to possess people. I am one, so I may be able to."_

That is pretty much the common legends in Japan. Another hint to Jack's past.

_The sorceress leapt at her, but Cleo dodged and countered, disarming the electric sword. Cleo got the sword before Veran could and stunned her with it._

_"Jack, now's your chance!" The lost spirit made his move an zipped into Scervo._

This is from ST (Spirit Tracks) where Zelda, as a ghost, can possess (instakiller) phantom armor, after you stun them by hitting them from behind, and can use their abilities to aid the player through the Tower of Spirits.

_From within, Veran was now face to face with a man in white robes. "Wha-?! Who are you?!"_

If you have a good memory for little details, you'll recall one of the gossiping Subrosians talk about a man in white robes before. And we see now that it's really Jack.

_Veran raised her arms and another quake started, steadily getting more and more violent. Cleo lost her balance and toppled to the ground, looking up to see cracks forming on the walls through which she could see a fiery glow. Any second, the entire crater would blow. This was it... it was all over. Cleo threw her arms over her head and braced herself for the blast._

_Then suddenly, unexpectedly, a voice called out. A voice that was louder and more terrifying than the rumbling earthquake... "__**VERAN... ENOUGH!**__" The voice was acidly demonic, echoing throughout the rocky chamber._

_The quake instantly stopped. Veran looked up in shock and, quite possibly, fear. "M-master!? Master, what is it?"_

_"__**LEAVE THE CHILD BE... GIVE HER WHAT SHE CAME FOR!**__"_

_"What?! But master-"_

_"__**DO NOT QUESTION ME, SORCERESS!**__" Veran flinched, she looked terrified._

_"That-that voice... I know that voice..." Jack whispered in a tone of fear. Cleo looked at him and opened her mouth, but decided not to ask about this now. She also found the voice familiar, she was sure she'd heard it somewhere._

_"__**YOU HAVE FAILED ME VERAN AND I WILL NOT TOLERATE FAILURE! GIVE CLEO HAYSTER THE LAST ESSENCE OF LIGHT AND RETURN TO ME AT ONCE!**__"_

_Veran again looked at Cleo. She was undoubtedly reluctant to obey. "This isn't over... I'll have you know."_

I'll admit, my ideas are getting kinda cheap, because this is similar to a scene in Star Fox Adventures (GC, 2002) where Andross tells General Scales to give the last Krazoa spirit to Fox. The only difference is Fox never got to fight Scales and the general dies after giving the spirit up. But this is such an incredibly intense foreshadowing scene of what evil is to come, that I had to sorta rewrite that scene in my fanfic (in my own way). This is the first _real_ time Cleo experienced an encounter with Aku (as his true self, not as Okam), even though she only heard his skin piercing voice.

_She got the Eclipse Ring. The moon blocks the sun to form a ring of fire and revive the lost with its burning embers so life begins anew!_

In the cartoon, an eclipse revived Aku from his petrified tree form in the very first ever scene. I thought this is kinda karmaic for the lost spirit Jack to be revived (if just his memory) the same way with the last essence.

_...No... no! This time portal... I feel darkness from within this time portal!_

_FOOOOL! THAT IS NO TIME PORTAL, IT IS A GATEWAY TO THE SHADOW WORLD WHERE ALL WHO ENTER WILL BE LOST FOREVER! YOU HAVE BEEN TRICKED!_

_I-I cannot move!... What is happening?!_

_YOU ARE BEING PULLED IN! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE! FINALLY, I WILL BE RID OF YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!_

_You have not won villain!_

_WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!_

_If I am to be trapped forever, I am taking you with me!_

_LET GO YOU IDIOT! NO NOOOO!_

_..._

_..._

_...I... I feel... ...strange... ...empty... oh... ... ..._

_IT SEEMS I HAVE THE LAST LAUGH AFTER ALL! YOU FADE AWAY WHILE I REMAIN IN THIS DARK REALM! AND NOW, THANKS TO YOU, I HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW WORLD TO ENSLAVE! GOODBYE... ...SAMURAI JACK! __**HAAA HAA HA HA HA HA AH AH AH!**_

And here's the big revealing plot twist! Da da DAAAAAAA! I decided, in the last memory, not to hold back the big secret about Jack's identity any longer as this is a good time to unveil it. I was gonna reveal it at the final battle, but I realized that would be kinda stingy to readers. Here we finally find out how Jack got here _and_ that he dragged the big bad into it.

_"Uh... Cleo... I... remember... everything now... All of my memories have returned..." He suddenly gasped out. "Cleo, that voice! There is something I need to tell you-"_

_"Jack, I don't mean to interrupt. I know it's something important, but Scervo's still unconscious. We need to get him out of the volcano."_

_"...You are right... This will have to wait..."_

After he got his memories back, I knew I had to find some good reasonable excuse for him to not tell Cleo who's behind the invasion right away. Besides which, she's smart enough to figure it out on her own, especially since she admits to her partner she had already guessed correctly about Jack being a samurai.

_"Looks like we're even now..." Cleo now knew for sure that it was Scervo who saved her from the fall at the Tempis Mine. She suddenly thought of something. "You know that seed you gave me? I think I know the perfect place for it."_

Ah, now I remember where Scervo's rescue is brought up. Also, the seed was supposed to be planted after Cleo was pardoned by the Drabokos, but I completely forgot about it. I thankfully remembered it before it was too late in the story for her to fulfill Sparklette's final wish. Man, my memory is out of wack.

_"Jack, I have this one question I wanted to ask you, but not until I was sure you had all of your memories... Are you a samurai?"_

_"...Yes... I am. So you have heard of me."_

My mom told me I should've had him ask Cleo how she knew who he his, but my excuse says he's the world's most wanted man (by Aku) and is therefore world famous, so he wouldn't be surprised that she knows him before they meet.

_"I don't know what it is... But I have a feeling that something very beastly awaits her, methinks. I don't have the strength ter aid her, so it has ter be ye, lad."_

_"But Cleo told me to keep these safe."_

_"Then give them ter me so ya can help yer dear sister." Normally Finn wouldn't give something valuable to a pirate, but he knew it was better they were in the hands of a pirate than a madman. He nodded._

The old synopsis idea was for Finn to come aid her anyway while still carrying the rest of the Essences of Light and Okam ended up taking them from him by force. But I realized that it's very out-of-character of Finn to do something that stupid, Finn's actually smarter than that. So Scervo ends up being the bearer instead at his persuasion. Now there comes the problem of how Okam learns where they are and targets the pirate (which I will mention later).

_She cautiously walked forward and the beetles actually stepped aside, so she went by them without a fight. Cleo found this unnerving. What if... but she couldn't bring herself to think of who might be waiting for her. She felt scared..._

Already, Cleo is coming to the conclusion that Aku himself might actually be in the Twilight Realm, waiting in the palace itself (and she ended up being right).

_Cleo pulled out her sword in a quick flash. "Now really, do you intend to challenge me?" he laughed. The laugh sounded familiar. "Tell you what, I'll give you an open shot. I'll even expose my back." Okam turned around, Cleo glared at him. "Well go on, this is your perfect chance. You know you have to kill me if you are ever to save Midna or the Twilight Realm. So what are you waiting for?" Cleo's sword hand shook, her knuckles white. "What's the matter? Can't attack an old man while he's vulnerable?" Cleo still didn't move. "Tell me... besides a few bugs... have you ever killed anyone?" he asked in morbid curiosity. She could see a mocking smirk forming on his lips._

_Then, with an angry cry, she finally charged at him, sword raised, about to strike him down... she stopped... the blade just an inch from his head... she fell to her knees. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill him._

I knew Cleo would never kill anyone, not even Okam (she still hasn't caught on to his identity yet). For a child her age, killing is not a mentally and psychologically healthy thing to do, because of the very negative way it can effect her or any other child who did. Aku, the cunning mastermind that he is, uses that against her, always understanding how human psychology works in order to manipulate them. Cleo's problem increases in BT when she finds out Ghirahim had murdered her mother and wanted revenge.

_Then they heard rushing footsteps and, before Cleo could react, someone else came, grabbed the Skribal Sword right out of her hand, and ran Okam through. "At least I'm not afraid to do what it takes, bastard."_

_"Finn?!... You... you..." Cleo stared wide-eyed at her brother and then at Okam, whose shocked look became frozen... and then he fell on the floor. "Finn, you've never killed anyone either!"_

_"I know... I-I gotta protect you, somehow." His voice was shaking. He had been dreading that action too. "Someone's gotta do it."_

_"I know it was not easy... you did the right thing for your sister."_

I also know killing isn't good for seventeen year olds either. However Finn, being much older than Cleo, and the son of a police officer who properly trained him with firearms, is mentally more prepared to this type of action. Still, you could see the experience shook him greatly, being his first time (at least he thinks is his first time). I tried to keep these things believable.

_"Where are the essences?" Cleo asked._

_"I gave them to that pirate, Scervo. They're safe with him."_

_"Are they?..." Both Finn and Cleo slowly turned to Okam's limp form. The old Twili lifted his head and his eyes lit up. As though walloped by a giant invisible hammer, a shockwave sent the whole team flying. They crashed on the walls and floor, and when they tried to get back up, they saw Okam standing once again, with the sword still stuck through his body, grinning like a madman. "Thanks for the info, fool!"_

Of course, you saw that coming a mile away if you've been following the story without skimming and reading spoilers ahead of time. This solved the first half of the problem of how Okam will find and steal the Essences of Light Scervo has (as I mentioned above).

_He pulled out the Skribal Sword. "You won't be needing this anymore." He held each end in a tight grip and, in a horrifying instant, snapped it in two. Cleo felt numb as she watched the two broken pieces clatter to the floor._

Another one of the few scenes I planned ahead of time, followed by the Silent Realm and Oni scene. This is another major hitch Cleo would get that would add to the difficulty of her situation. And I mean MAJOR, it was literally the only weapon she had, with no items in her inventory except runes which cannot work without it. So now she's totally vulnerable, especially against a near invincible, S-class demon entity.

_"H-how... What the hell are you?!" Finn moaned._

_"I am the true king of the Twilight Realm. The master and ruler of all!"_

_"It was you..." Cleo gasped. Okam turned his intimidating gaze on her. "It was your voice at the volcano! You're not a Twili at all! You're... you're..."_

_"... ...Aku!" Jack finished._

_"WHAT?!" Finn burst out in a higher voice._

_Okam threw back his head and let out the terrible cackle Cleo knew was Aku's. "Finally caught on, have you?"_

At last, the story comes to reveal Okam's real identity. A not so surprising reveal if you've watched SJ.

_"How did you get here in the first place?" she interrogated the Twili pretender._

_"It was chance really. I actually would never have discovered the Twilight Realm if it weren't for the samurai and his fruitless quest to return to his own time in the past." _

_"That's a total lie!" Finn assumed._

_"Oh really? Well why don't you ask him? He'll tell you, if he has got his memories back, that is."_

_Cleo looked at Jack. "Is it true?... You brought him here?"_

_There was a sigh of defeat from the lost spirit. "Yes... what he says is true..."_

Just like in MTG, the whole entire problem they're forced to face was caused by a noble person's blunder. In MTG, Finn accidentally freed Ganondorf, causing the two siblings to go on a difficult quest to stop him from gaining the Majora's Mask and bring an end to Hyrule (the _whole_ multiverse in the worst case scenario). And although the very last memory showed to readers that Jack purposefully dragged Aku into the shadow realm in hopes to stop him, not knowing there's a peaceful civilization there, this scene reveals to Cleo that her partner was the reason the Twilight Realm was under an invasion in the first place.

_Finn tried to drag her out of the room, but Okam (his eyes glowing again) raised his hand and the teen's body was lifted in the air, shaken wildly and tossed like a ragdoll into a corner._

_"FINN!" Cleo ran to her brother and crouched next to him._

_Finn couldn't get up. "Cleo run, RUN!"_

_"I'm not leaving you Finn!"_

_"Cleo, look out!" she heard Jack cry. She turned around and saw a massive black shadow slithering over the walls and floor, heading right toward them. Should she move out of the way, it would be Finn who would suffer. She used the only equipment she had left and held her shield steady, braced for the impact as the shadow fast approached._

_What happened next, she could barely remember any of it. All she remembered was pain, pain in every part of her body as if from blunt hits, sharp stabs, and tight twisting of limbs. All else was blackness. She screamed out in agony..._

_She was lying on the ground, bruised, battered, and lightly bloodied._

This scene is from OoT right before Link learns the Nocturn of Shadow from Sheik. Link and Sheik suffered the same way as Cleo and Finn respectively when Kakariko Village was under attack by an evil shadow that escaped from the well. You should look up a YouTube video of that scene.

_She was falling... falling... falling... Memories were fading... She no longer knew anything... All was nothing to her... she felt lost... alone... ...Then she heard a voice... calling her name... She looked up and saw someone falling with her... But all she could see was his silhouette... A man in robes was coming closer... reaching out his hand to her..._

This time, it's not a premonition like at the beginning, it was actually happening.

_... ... ...Cleo opened her heavy eyelids. The first thing she saw was an arctic blue sky. She was lying on the ground still, but she was no longer in pain. She rolled over on her hands and knees to get herself up and the second thing she saw was what she had been lying on. It was a glowing spell circle, but it was different than the ones she had used in the past, the one she was on was in the shape of a flower surrounded by ancient Hylian text. She stood up without difficulty and looked around._

_The place was familiar, a town looking a lot like the Twilight Castle Town where she had used the various warps... in fact it looked exactly like that town. Then she realized it is the same town. Yet there were noticeable differences. Once, it was bathed in a twilight that was alien in nature, now it was covered in a calm peaceful blue atmosphere like that of an early dawn. Dotted around the area were suits of white armor with three-eyed masks._

_"What happened here?..." She looked at herself. Her body was no longer damaged in any way and was edged with what appeared to be reflected light from water. And she noticed her backpack was missing. "Is this what it's like to be a lost spirit?" Cleo looked around some more. "Where's Jack? Shouldn't he be here too?" But there was no visible sign of him, in spirit or human form. "JACK?... JAAACK!... ...FINN?... ... ...IS ANYONE HERE?"_

_"... ... ...Cleo... Hayster," answered a new voice. She gave a faint gasp, her heart pounding. It was soft and gentle yet booming and powerful, a voice that seemed to belong to a divine being._

_"W-who are you?"_

_"You will know soon enough... What you see before you is not the Twilight Realm, but a mirrored dimension where only the spirit can enter... the Silent Realm..."_

I knew, when Cleo is bound to an Essence of Light that keeps her from becoming a lost spirit, that Aku would deprive her of that anchor once he had no more use for her and she starts to turn on him (something that was plot-wise inevitable). This is yet another major hitch she somehow had to overcome and the idea of the Silent Realm trials from Skyward Sword came to mind really early in the synopsis draft.

_"So I'm a lost spirit now?"_

_"Not quite..."_

_"But... how-"_

_"You have a friend to thank... because of his fearless actions to save you Cleo, you have been spared from a terrible fate."_

_"I still don't understand. What happened to Jack?"_

_"He is within you. His spirit has become a part of you now."_

_Cleo's eyes widened. "Jack is... inside me?"_

_"Yes... and he will remain so until you can pass the trial."_

This is a little difficult to decide whether or not Jack would be accompanying Cleo during her trial in the Silent Realm. Although since being in the SR and being a lost spirit are two different things altogether, I had to come up with a reason why she hasn't become one. So Jack ends up being sort of an Essence of Light substitute.

_"If you are to return to the Twilight Realm, you must gain spiritual growth. To complete the trial set before you, fill your Spirit Vessel by collecting Sacred Tears. I shall be guiding you." Then a soft glow came out of her chest and took on the form of a white flower with fifteen berries on its long stem. It looked a lot like the Vessel of Light._

She was actually thinking about the tasks in TP with the shadow insects. As of the story's timeline in her life (that is Oct 31, 2009), Skyward Sword hasn't been released yet. So the trial given to her here is like a totally Blind Let's Play.

_She started her hunt for them. It wasn't very hard, she found some light fruit that summoned beams of light on the horizon, pointing straight up into the sky, which acted like beacons, leading her to the tears._

I originally wrote that there were beacons, with absolutely no mention about light fruit, and left it at that. I still didn't know what the light fruit does until I looked it up on the Zelda Wiki and I realized that I was making the wrong assumption that these beacons were just there and the fruit served as pausing wilting time temporarily (I only watched a LP of Skyward Sword, that's why I somehow misunderstood it). Not wanting to seem stupid to readers, I rewrote this part.

_"I ain't your buddy, go away!"_

This line was from Falco Lombardi from Star Fox 64 (N64, 1997).

_They stared each other down like two gunmen waiting for high noon... She needed to be fast... if she didn't make it... ... ...Cleo shot forward and the guardian began to bear down upon her... ...It swung down its blades... about to make a hit... ... ..._

_... ... ...Cleo looked up and could see the guardian back on his post. She had done it, she got all fifteen Sacred Tears._

_"Well done Cleo... now return to the Trial Gate."_

_"Finally!" Cleo looked at the still guardian and pulled a few funny faces at it. Laughing, she turned around... and stepped into a tiny, unnoticeable, puddle. Everything went to hell again. "CRAP!"_

And, of course, Cleo ends up dropping the ball _there!_ Even though the petals won't wilt anymore after getting all the tears, it's still possible to wake up the guardians before you could reach the circle.


	34. Bonus 6

_The fifteen berries glowed and the tears shot out of them into the flower. It closed up into a bud and swelled in size. When it rebloomed, a bright light emerged and took the shape of the two pieces of the Skribal Sword. Then another flash of light..._

_Cleo suddenly found herself back inside the throne room, but she didn't seem to be entirely back. She could see she was still in the Silent Realm._

At the end of the trial, you get some kind of prize that will help you in your quest. Also, in the game, you appear in the Silent Realm in the exact same spot where you entered from your own realm. But here, Cleo entered it from in the throne room and ended up in the center of the castle town. I have no explanation as to why I bent that little rule. But I'd say that Oni had something to do with it.

_"I will be honest with you. I did not think that the one who would one day wield the Skribal Sword would be the same little girl I saw just a month ago. But I knew you were special when I watched you destroy the Majora's Mask. And now our paths have crossed again, this time with a greater purpose."_

Oni was referring to the time back at the final battle in MTG. The way he claimed that he noticed her back then before he admits her as his equal when she pulled out the Skribal Sword shows a hidden connection between them. And, I'll bet you anything, he even knows who Cleo _really_ is long before she herself could discover it.

_"Yeah, well that path that has now obviously been given to me was all fine and dandy at first... Except there's one problem. I was also manipulated by that melanic freak of nature. And I can't even kill him with this sword. I mean, look at it."_

_"Yes, about Aku. He does pose a terrible threat, and I doubt he will stop there. After the Twilight Realm, more than likely, he will reach Hyrule and try to claim it next."_

_"He just doesn't know when to stop!" Cleo growled._

_"There is still a way you can stop him, Cleo. The Skribal Sword, if you please." Cleo held the broken sword out and it floated over to him. "Not only shall I reforge the blade for you... its powers will be given one more expansion." The two pieces placed themselves together and Oni summoned a hammer. He slammed it down on the broken blade repeatedly until it was whole again. "Now for the final touch." He pulled out his own sword. "My sword has the blessings of the gods." In a flash, it turned into a rune. "With this, the Skribal Sword will have the same blessing. Do not equip it until you are ready to face Aku." He took Cleo's hand and gave her the Rune of Oni._

Oni, Fierce Deity: Hylian. Oni made his one and only appearance in MM (still don't know if he'll appear in Hyrule Warriors (WiiU 2014), there may be hidden characters). There is some kind of rivalry between him and Majora, a kind of history not officially revealed (by the video game's story, not by the manga of MM). I created for myself that hidden history for the fanfic series and each side's is revealed in MTG and BT. There were a couple of early ideas with Oni, including him giving Cleo the Fierce Deity's Mask. But that would be breaking the rune only item system in the story. In the end, I had him give her another rune.

_In many barless cells, there were Twilis, Geozolas, Mortrams, and many others imprisoned. Finn and Midna were sharing a cell together._

You're no doubt thinking, why are they barless?

_"Cleo! Oh my God!" He shot up off the seat and ran to her. "You're here! I can't believe you're ba-" ZAP! Finn was thrown back by the invisible force field imprisoning them. "...I forgot that wall's there..."_

That's why! Lol!

_"Sis... ...I was about to say where Scervo is. He asked me to tell you he's going to bring the essences to a place called the Altar of Dawn and he'll be waiting for you there."_

_"The Altar of Dawn?"_

_"Yes, that's the place where all eight must be gathered in order to use their powers at their highest peak," Midna explained. "That's what the ancient scroll said. Scervo must be expecting you to come with the Moon Pearl and complete the gathering."_

_"But Okam-I mean Aku has the pearl and now knows Scervo has the rest," Cleo explained._

And this solves the other half of the how-Okam-gets-all-essences-problem.

_"We can't keep these people waiting Finn," Midna urged. Finn finally pulled away and went to rescue the captives. The Twilight Princess hung back._

Midna hanging back was a easily missed hint that she's temporarily taking Cleo's place.

_As she started to cross the bridge, Cleo heard a voice, so much like Midna's, shout out "This is as far as you go, Cleo!" Then black particles appeared and bunched together into the solid form of Veran._

_"Aw man! I knew I'd run into you, again!"_

Because Veran simply left after the battle in the volcano, there would of course be a rematch, and become the final obstacle between Cleo and Aku. I've been watching YT videos of the OoA final battle to learn how she fights.

_"Get out of the way, Maleficent!"_

When I wrote this part, the new Disney movie Maleficent (2014) was on it's way to it's release in theaters. My mom and I thought it was a great movie. We enjoy _every_ live action adaptations, especially ones most people bash for no good reason other than 'just because').

_...Cleo fell. Toppled by the impact, a stinger dug into her shoulder... She cried out in pain. Veran cackled as she grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. "Your luck has run out! Now you will finally pay for your interference!"_

_Cleo lifted her head and looked Veran in the eye and, to the sorceress's slight confusion, gave a mischievous grin, one that was all too familiar. "You're right... I did interfere... by giving Cleo an opening," said a voice like Veran's coming from Cleo's lips. In an instant, Cleo's image was gone, to be replaced by the mini-formed Midna._

_Veran knew what was about to happen the moment she saw her twin... and it was too late. She dropped her and fell... with the real Cleo standing behind her._

This was a perfect payback for Veran after she posed as Cleo to frame her.

_The very first room had eight doors for her to choose. When she picked one and entered, it locked behind her. Then she had to go through a trial using the required runes and when she had gone up a floor, she was once again facing many doors, only one of the next eight was sealed. It was a rinse and repeat task, each door she chose led her to rooms that were a lot like the previous dungeons, with their puzzles harder than ever and a plethora of every insect enemy she fought._

This was an idea taken from a few Mario games where Bowser's Keep had multiple doors to choose from (like in Mario RPG for example) before meeting the final boss. And again, I had the final dungeon be multi-themed like in many Zelda games. The fanfic used to describe boss rematches throughout the dungeon (also like some Zelda games), but I just removed that because the battle scheme Aku will have is sorta boss rematches anyway (plus there are eight doors, including one that leads to rooms similar to the Temple of Hira, so who's the boss there?!).

_"Scervo!" she laughed. She ran to him. "I'm so glad to see y-" her words were stopped short when she saw Scervo closer and realized with a feeling like cold lead in all her organs that all was not well._

_He was twitching forebodingly, his voice only static and sound spasms. And there was a black pike with chevron-shaped prongs sticking out of his chest. He was looking right back at her and she was sure he was trying to speak to her. The pike pulled back into his chest and he tumbled to the floor with a loud metallic clatter, revealing the perpetrator standing right behind him._

The moment I thought of Scervo's tragic backstory, involving his deceased fiancee, I knew then I had to kill him off eventually (not just yet in this scene, but I know you'll get the gist). It's inevitable and is a blessed relief for him as he would finally be with Sparklette.

_"All I have to do is place them on those spires and harness their power. Their magic will make me stronger, strong enough to finally take over the Twilight Realm..."_

_"But you are already powerful Aku! Why can you not take it over the same way you took over my homeland and so many other worlds?"_

_"Because, samurai, this realm is much different than the ones you and I are use to. Even though the strange effects of this world could not turn me into a lost spirit, it has indeed weakened me greatly. This realm was designed to be a prison for powerful beings of evil, a perfect and safe place for banishment. I'm not as strong as I once was."_

I knew I had to come up with a reason as to why Aku couldn't take over the Twilight Realm just like that. This is in case Zelda fans forgot what the Mirror of Twilight and the realm itself was officially used for.

_"You haven't learned a thing, Aku! When people do evil deeds, good will do everything it can to bite them in the butt! Especially if good gains aid from a Fierce Deity!"_

Okay, let's turn back the pages, shall we? _"Cleo, When people do good deeds, evil will do everything it can to bite them in the butt. It's the way things are." They looked at Okam. "I have seen something like that in the pa-" "Thank you, Okam!"_ Now Cleo throws that back at Okam/Aku the other way around, with an extra badass line added.

_"It is a shame. You could have been great as my henchman. You were so dependable, so useful... I really am thankful to you for what you did. Too bad you're too much of a do-gooder to know any better."_

My mom asked me why he would say that about Cleo being a henchman and I had to remind her of the time Okam tried to persuade her to work for him. Also, I had difficulty as to what word like 'henchman' I could use. There were different variants like 'minion' and I was trying to figure out which is the best one to use.

_**Shapeshifting Master of Darkness:**_  
_**Aku**_

The whole second half of the fight is just like the Death Eye battle in BT, with the various forms. You would probably call this an unimaginative repeat, but unfortunately, there's really no avoiding that. Aku almost always fights this way and I have to follow the traditions of SJ battles as well as Zelda battles. Also in case you're wondering, I cannot say for sure if Aku has any possible connection to the Death Eye.

_Aku sprouted bat wings and took flight. Hovering above, he summoned a fireball and threw it at Cleo. She swung her sword to bounce it back, and the opponents ended up volleying it back and forth until she could get a hit. Stunned again, he fell to the ground, leaving her an opening for an attack._

And I also threw the usual plasma volley strategy into the SJ/Zelda battle mix. Jack actually did that once against an evil demon possessing a Japanese manor, with one of his bare hands.

_Far from the altar, Finn and Midna were watching from a cliff. "Oh my __***BEEP***__ God! I had no idea she was that strong! She's kicking his __***BEEP***__ ass! Pardon my language, Midna."_

... ...I'd rather not talk about that.

_Cleo glared at Aku. "You don't like getting beaten, especially by a kid! You're not playing with a full deck!"_

_"On the contrary, I think it is you who needs to recheck your hand," Aku replied._

_"I just creamed you, Aku! Your time here is over!"_

_"Well, it's not over until the fat lady sings!"_

_"You're at the end of your rope!"_

_"You may have won this battle, but not the war. In fact, the tables have turned! I still have the essences..."_

_"You'd better fork 'em over now!"_

_"Please, enough!" Jack butted in. "All these strange metaphors are making me dizzy!"_

This is like the silly argument between Metro Man and Megamind (2010).

_"I know you're scared... I am too. But we can't lose faith yet. Cleo still has a chance... ...even though this realm... may not..." Midna was looking very ill and weak. The princess collapsed, her body's complexion slowly turning negative and Finn knew why. The loss of the Essences of Light might mean the end of the Twilight Realm. She and all her people were getting weaker and weaker while Aku was getting stronger._

This goes to show you how truly insane Aku is. Midna was in this kind of situation before in TP when Zant blew her to within an inch of her life with pure light.

_"No NO!" Finn knelt and tried to lift her up. "Somebody, please! Please God, Oni, Ra, anybody, I DON'T CARE WHO! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!" As he held on to Midna, the back of Finn's hand was beginning to glow._

That was the Triforce of Wisdom at work in case you couldn't tell. Perhaps one of the gods (maybe all the gods he randomly called out to) had answered his prayers.

_She got up and saw Aku's eyes light up and she lifted her sword in front of her just in time to block the lasers. But the force of the blast pushed her back further until she was at the very edge of the roof. Mere inches from falling off, Cleo planted her feet firmly on the ground while the lasers continued to burn the Skribal Sword, overheating it. The sword vibrated violently and then what happened next was truly disastrous._

_Cleo's mind was tumbling as wildly as her body after a small explosion erupted right in front of her. All she could think of was that she was falling and she needed to grab the edge, there was literally no room in her head for anything else. This fast-acting instinct saved her, but it didn't save the one thing that made the difference between victory and defeat. The explosion caused a rune to pop off the sword and, as she clung onto the edge, she caught a glimpse of the very thing she needed to win this fight, as the Rune of Oni dropped past her and down into the endless sky._

For those who are asking "why didn't she use her shield?!" Well, Oni's sword is so big that she had to use two hands to hold it and therefore cannot use her shield. I'm just trying to make this as edgy as possible by having Aku _cripple_ her.

_"__**I FIGURED THAT NEW POWER CAME FROM A RUNE, AND NOW THAT IT IS GONE, YOU ARE POWERLESS!**__" Cleo stood there, feeling numb. He was about to strike her when Jack suddenly zipped up to his face. "__**THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU GET IN MY WAY!**__" Aku zapped him and the lost spirit fell to the ground._

_"NOOO!" Cleo shrieked. She flew to her partner and picked him up. He was flickering. "Jack..." Cleo's voice was breaking. "Jack I'm... I'm sorry..."_

_"...I... I know... It is... alright... you did your best..." But that, to Cleo, wasn't enough. Jack had traveled so far, fought so hard to go back in time, save his homeland, and destroy Aku so the demon would not exist here today. When he didn't succeed, Cleo had to take over the task of slaying the monster even though she wasn't fully aware of it at first. But now, both their journeys were over, both of them had failed, and the Twilight Realm was falling apart. Cleo began to cry._

_Aku grabbed her and lifted her up in his clawed hands. He started squeezing the life out of her and she screamed, tears still streaming. "__**LOOK AT ME! I WANT TO SEE THE FEAR IN YOUR EYES AS YOU DIE!**__" She continued screaming as the hard pressure constricted her body._

This is the only part where my own work unnerved me. Seriously, I could barely stomach it.

_Then there was a loud blast and the pressure suddenly eased, dropping her to the ground. "__**WHAT?!**__" Cleo got up and spotted someone also on the ground, but still moving, and her eyes widened in astonishment._

_"Leave... the lass... alone!" Scervo was still holding up his arm, smoke billowing out of a hole where the hook had been._

This was actually very similar in the MTG final battle when SK saves Cleo almost the same way (he even told the final boss to leave her alone). Although I didn't write this that way on purpose, I totally forgot that past scene, so this is more of a coincidence.

The next scene is an alternate scene to the essence revival brainstorming.

_One of the essences, the Sprite Cloud, started to spark. "Cleo, look!" Jack spoke up. Cleo saw it and couldn't believe her eyes. "Is that...?" The Sprite Cloud was regaining color and the sparks within were coming back to life. Aku saw it too and couldn't believe his eyes. "What... what does this mean?" Jack asked._

_Cleo stared at the sparks, which reminded her of the spark of friendship she had just felt and the answer hit her. "It's the bond!" Then she remembered feeling a strong bond with Jack right before the Skribal Sword returned to her. The sword also felt it, that was why it accepted her. It was her strong regard for all people, no matter how different. "MID! I NEED YOU, PLEASE!"_

_"__**WHATEVER YOU ARE UP TO, YOU WILL BE DEAD BEFORE YOU CAN GAIN ANY HELP!**__" Aku was about to blast her with another laser, but then Finn and Midna appeared, surrounding them all in Nayru's Love and blocking the attack. Aku snarled in rage._

_Finn's hand was still glowing as he held onto the weakened Midna. "I don't how long this shield will hold!" Finn said. "If you have a plan, tell us quickly!"_

_"Mid? What happened to you?" Cleo asked, staring at her friend in worry._

_"Finn's... ...keeping me from becoming a lost spirit... with the Triforce of Wisdom."_

_"Midna, I need to find some way to get in touch with everyone in this realm. You're the Twilight Princess, so you must know something. Can you help me?"_

_"I'm not sure... everyone's become lost... I was almost lost myself without Finn, but I don't know if I can contact anyone..." she said between heavy breaths._

_"I am a lost spirit still," Jack added. "Maybe I can."_

_"Hey guys!? Flamebrow's breaking in!" There had been loud clashes of energy as Aku attacked the magic shield, cracks slowly forming._

The reason this version didn't make it into the story is because I was overestimating Cleo's ability to come up with this kind of plan, this fast. She had managed to come up with good plans, but this kind of brainstorming is not exactly at her level at this age, as this would not be very clear for her. I had to rewrite and rearrange this scene until I made it so that everyone put their heads together over how to revive the essences and Jack, who is more spiritually attuned, is the one to figure it out.

_"...It will work... 'cause I have all of you with me." The three of them were locked hand in hand with Jack in the middle. "I don't need a weapon to be great, all I need is a friend."_

She said that same line after Jack defended her from Scervo and the stolen Skribal Sword.

_And Cleo felt true happiness fill her grieving heart and mind._

In BT, happiness is the key to her true spiritual potential, which she finally discovers after she completed her Eight Great Portals mission. So this is a little call forward to the important element in the sequel.

_A bright light had ignited, coming from underneath Cleo. A glowing circle in the shape of a flower appeared, petal by petal. The tears still falling were starting to shimmer again, floating up like bubbles. A diamond-shaped light appeared on her forehead and when she opened her eyes, they were also filled with pure light. The tears soared up into the air and traveled over the Twilight Realm, then rained down upon the lost inhabitants._

_In Midnight Hollow, the chief was once again feeling as though all hope was gone. But then he looked up and saw rain falling through the trees. The Drabokos were gathering around in wonder. "This rain... this is no ordinary rain... ...Could it be?..." His face fell. "Cleo, I don't know if you can hear me... but we still haven't fully made it up to you for what we had done. I wish to settle our debt, let us make amends to you..."_

_Flowebb was gloomily cleaning up, after closing the bar, when curiosity toward the rain pulled him outside. He stared at the rain in awe. "Cleo... Thanks for helping me and my business. I want to return the favor."_

_Meteroi and the other Mortrams were hiding in a cave when the rain brought them all out. "Cleo, you're trying to save us again aren't you... I can feel it in my gut. Don't give up! We need to cheer for her fellas!" The Mortrams began chanting her name._

_Defross and Glacia were huddled together, watching the rain with the Snyorgans. "It's Cleo, I know it is," said Glacia. "She fighting out there for us."_

_"We're both with you Cleo," said Defross._

_Squurall was doing some repair work on one of his windmills when the rain gave him a moment of pause. "Cleo, I don't know where you are, but I'm here for you if you need me again."_

_All of the Twilis in the village were bunched together, reaching out to the tears of light, cheering with the elder woman in the center. "I always knew you would be the one to save our realm... Both you and Jack. Don't let this evil take over... free us all..."_

_All their voices carried to the Altar of Dawn and one by one the essences were revived. Only the Moon Pearl remained and the last of her tears flowed into Finn, Midna, and Jack, reviving the last essence._

This was inspired from the Paper Mario series, most notably the final fight in TYD (Thousand Year Door). The little diamond on her forehead is also a call forward to BT, Fi having that mark.

_"You are so screwed, Aku!"_

_"I do not even want to know what that means," added Jack, although by his tone, he was liking the idea._

NO! It's not what any of you dirty minded people think it is!

_"Mid! Take Finn and get outta here!"_

_"I will!" She quickly teleported herself and Finn away before Aku could blast them with his lasers, narrowly avoiding being hit. The laser hit the red horizon, turning into a little, lingering light in the distance._

I added the lingering light part to the story after I was finished with the rest of the chapter, because I realized the black hole needed a bit of foreshadowing.

_"You're nothing but a coward!"_

_Aku turned his burning glare back at her. "__**FOR THAT REMARK, I SHALL DO WORSE THAN KILL YOU! I WILL DRAG YOU INTO THE PIT OF HATE AND MAKE YOU WATCH AS I DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SWORN TO PROTECT!**__"_

_"I am so getting tired of your ham!"_

Yeah, he's pretty hammy, especially in the cartoon opening where Aku himself tells about the main plot, which does get tiring fast (and makes me wanna fastforward onto the episode).

_Aku turned into a floating spiral and the twilight markings on his form spread across the air and the entire environment turned black for a moment. The darkness faded and they were no longer on the top of the Altar of Dawn. Cleo looked around her and realized she was back on top of the Temple of Hira where her whole adventure began, only this time within the Twilight Realm._

In TP, Zant also had the power to transport the fight to other places, so I used that for the various animal forms Aku turns into to suit his environment, and it's the perfect opportunity for Cleo to use all of the runes in this final fight. At first, I thought of only using most of the important items, like in BT, but I decided "no I'll use them all... somehow".

_Aku then shifted into the form of a large shelled beast with spikes._

_He withdrew into his shell like an armadillo and rolled after her. The shell was too hard for her blade to penetrate, she needed to use something powerful. Aku tried to ground pound her and she barely dodged him. She suddenly felt the ground give way, again her fast reacting mind told her to grab the edge. As she hung on, she felt stupid forgetting the area had the pitfall trap. She pulled herself up and looked around for Aku. He must've fallen in the pit but she wasn't surprised to see him leap out of it. The pitfall closed up and Cleo stuck to the edge of the rooftop. He rolled after her again, and nearly fell off. As he was wobbling on one foot, Cleo quickly equipped Mars and Mjolnir, drew a Q on the floor, and rushed to Aku's back to grab his tail with the lighting clawshot (she had to be really fast). He was heavy, but she managed to spin him around and release him onto the Q, the burning line almost gone. It exploded on him, sending him skyrocketing and crashing._

The first form is definitely my favorite! This is nearly like the Bowser battle in Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996), a neat Nintendo reference I couldn't resist writing in. Also, if you remember correctly, there had been a pitfall in the very first chapter of this story that Cleo had jumped over.

_She looked at the lightning and activated Mjolnir again as he started to dive bomb her. The lightning hit the sword and she redirected it at the bat, electrocuting him._

A late new function added to the Mjolnir rune. This little trick was from a brush technique from Okami.

_He transformed into a giant lizard, then his black body turned red as he puffed up and breathed out fire which spread around him. Cleo avoided the fire but couldn't get through to attack him. He turned green next and spat green fire at her, penetrating the red flame wall. She equipped Iris and threw the sword. It flew through the green fire, absorbing it, continued through the red, and hit his green body, causing him damage. Then he recreated the wall with both red and green fire in different places and changed color more rapidly as he attacked Cleo._

The only reason there aren't any other colors because Aku literally can't change his own color scheme (black, with some red, green, and a bit of white accents). That's one of the few weaknesses he has, so when he has to disguise himself, he has to think this through very carefully.

_Another change of scenery and form, Cleo faced Aku's strangest form yet in the heart of Blue Crater. He had the body of a bull, the head of a crocodile, and two huge arms on his back holding swords. He was covered in flames and absorbed metal from the walls to create armor. He charged at her, swinging his swords, flames erupting from the blades. She dodged the attack, nearly getting hit, a small spout of fire barely licking her sleeve. She used Pele to gather blue lava and splash it on his armor. As she chipped away, Aku leaped up and stomped his legs to shoot out a ring of fire. Cleo blocked it with her shield and resumed her chipping. She soon got rid of his armor and now had to deal with the fire on his body. She used Futen to blow out the fire, revealing a skeletal body, and hacked away at him._

This is also referencing another video game battle and from Okami. The form he took was of Crimson Helm and the battle strategy is similar.

_In the next round they were underneath the Tree of Dusk and Aku became a mole. He burrowed through the ground and tried to get her from underneath. He made the ground very unstable wherever Cleo stood and she needed to jump away quickly before falling through. Multiple sinkholes formed as she ran. Aku then started popping out to catch her off guard and duck back in before she could gain a hit. She decided to narrow down his maneuvers with Viridi by growing strong vines over all the holes except one. Once he was forced out of the only hole did Cleo whack him good._

The part for the Viridi rune gave me the most trouble. I was afraid I was gonna have to drop this one, but in the end I ended up using it for a classic arcade game (I'm sure you know which game I'm talking about).

_Then everything went black and, this time, stayed black. Cleo was in total darkness, guessing she was in Pitch Black Caves. She quickly equipped and used Will-o-Wisp to light up the area and was suddenly attacked from behind, feeling sharp claws on her back. He pinned her down, and she struggled with all her might to push him off. Aku slinked back into the darkness before she could spot him. She was sure he could see her in the dark, so she needed to outsmart him. Cleo summoned more little lights, ran to a corner, and equipped Anubis. She extinguished the lights and drew a shadow copy of herself, letting it wander around while she stayed crouched and still. She heard a growl and a pounce and, pinpointing the source, ambushed him._

This is the only time his form wasn't described, but if you have to guess what it is, it's most obviously some kind of big cat, since most big cat species hunt at night.

_She saw his markings glow in the dark and everything lit up again. Cleo fell in the water with a splash and, frantically paddling, hurried to a raft. She was back on the Bioluminisle lake. A sea serpent rose up amidst the circle of rafts. He opened his mouth wide and spat green slime at her. Cleo leapt onto the next raft, before it hit and melted the one she'd been on. She got her Flamel rune ready in case she were to run out of rafts. Then she equipped Shenlong and waited for an opportunity. Aku opened his mouth again and she bent water into it, overhydrating him and his head collapsed onto a raft. She hopped on and struck him._

I once thought of having Cleo fight the sea serpent Aku from on top of a lighthouse where she uses the light to pinpoint his location. But that would break the fighting-in-the-same-boss-rooms streak.

_They were transported again to (Cleo guessed correctly) inside the cone shaped room in the Nebula Observatory. Aku fused into one of the stained glass windows, becoming part of a living image. He darted between the windows surrounding the room. She got Sagittarius ready to shoot at him. He split in two to confuse her. While she was trying to figure out which one was fake, one of them leapt out and zapped a bolt down on her. She fell after a painful shock and heard him laugh. Cleo quickly recovered and made her decision fast. Trusting her instincts, she fired a light arrow at one of the images and he screamed and fell out of the window. Then she attacked._

This was from the Phantom Ganon battle in OoT (three different VG battle references in the same final battle!). The whole Aku becoming part of the stained glass window thing was an idea I got from a scene in MLP FIM where Discord was taunting the main six with a riddle hinting the whereabouts to the Elements of Harmony, all while in the form of a stain glass image.


	35. Bonus 7

_Finally they returned to the Altar of Dawn. Aku was getting frustrated, thundering. He swelled to a huge shapeless mound and dozens upon dozens of different beasts spawned from it, heading right toward her. Cleo fuddled for the Salamander rune._

Aku did the same spawning thing in the SJ video game, Shadow of Aku (PS2, GC, 2004) (Four references! :O). I know Cleo already used the Salamander rune in the first round, but since all other runes had been used in the second round, with Salamander left, I might as well have her use it again. It's pretty much the best rune against this form.

_"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! HOW CAN A LITTLE CHILD BE THAT POWERFUL?! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! YOU WERE AT MY MERCY FROM THE BEGINNING, I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU THE MOMENT I FIRST DRAGGED YOU INTO THIS REALM! __**I HATE YOU!**__"_

You can't really blame him for throwing a fit. He, as a powerful demon lord, was getting his ass kicked by a little girl. Nonetheless, it's satisfyingly amusing to see him really lose his composure like that.

_"Now is your chance! Do it Cleo!" Jack commanded. She ran at Aku, screaming, sword ready to strike him down... Something made her stop, something she noticed in the distance. "What are you waiting for?! Cleo, what is wrong?" Cleo couldn't stop staring at the strange sight that caught her attention. It wasn't there before, she hadn't seen it until now, but she knew in an instant what it must be. She had learned about in astronomy. And it was getting bigger... closer..._

_It suddenly felt like a strong wind was growing, but it was no wind, it was a pull in gravity. "Aku... what have you done?!"_

_"That last laser attack wasn't aimed at your friends..." he answered with a sneer. "That was my ace in the hole... LITERALLY!"_

If this doesn't tell you it's a black hole, despite the obvious hints, you need to go back to science class.

_"Oh my fierce deity!" Midna cried out. "What is that?!"_

_"It's a black hole!" Finn exclaimed. "I knew Aku would pull off some sort of cheap ass exit strategy as usual, but nothing like that!"_

Aku was never officially killed off (simply because the cartoon was discontinued) and I don't intend to do so, even if I have the privilege in a fanfic. Every time Jack fights Aku with the sole purpose of destroying him, the demon always manages to escape. The black hole was the only thing I could think of that would rid the Twilight Realm of Aku as one of his attempted exit strategies which would then backfire on him. Yes, I know it makes this too much like a Garlic Jr. fight, but I seriously couldn't think of anything else.

_"Sayonara, you brat! Time to meet your demise!" Aku's last word seemed to echo in Cleo's head... something started to click. A diamond shaped light appeared on her forehead again._

_There was a large stone spike floating in darkness, a glowing triangular sigil began to trace itself within a circle, the spike planted down and a spell circle formed around it with the sigil in the center, the darkness was rapidly sucked into the ground and was gone completely, leaving behind a spiraled hollow where the spike rested._

_She opened her eyes and felt another spark ignite inside her. Feeling it grow, she lifted herself back up with fresh new determination. "I know what to do... I don't know how I know this, but I do."_

_"What is it?" asked Jack, starting to sound hopeful._

_"A seal, I just have to seal the black hole!"_

_"How will you accomplish that?"_

_"There's a pattern, it just came to me... as though from a distant memory..." With the mysterious vision of the new (correction, Cleo thought, old and forgotten) spell circle still fresh in her mind, she activated the Rune of Skribal._

This whole thing is the biggest call forward to BT. The vision she had is of the Sealed Grounds from Skyward Sword, with the sealing spike and everything. I had said before that the game hadn't been released yet when this story took place, so the way she said it seemed like a distant memory confirms that, even then, she managed to get in touch with Fi's memories as her happiness incarnate. 'Aku's last word' obviously means demise which happens to be the name of an evil demonic being that was sealed away in that game. And of course this is the one and only time the Rune of Skribal was put to truly epic use.

_She traced the sigil in mid-air, it had to be a complicated one in order to make it strong enough to seal something this incredibly powerful. While drawing, she rapidly retraced parts of it that were being sucked away._

Imagine doing this in a DS/3DS game, how fast you have to draw and redraw a complex pattern within a limited time. I tried to make this task in the fanfic sound very hard in video game terms since this is the last thing Cleo had to do in the final fight.

_"Finn, Midna... ...Jack... I failed you all..."_

_"Cleo..." She looked up at the lost spirit beside her. Jack didn't sound the least bit sad, instead he sounded like he was smiling. "Let us inflict one more strike on Aku." She stared at him in mild confusion. "I just figured out how I was able to protect you before... and how to pull it off on command. It was the same way the Skribal Sword came to you, because of our bond. It gives strength to the sword. If the Essences of Light can merge into it, then I can too. If we are to win this fight, I must become one with it."_

_"Wait, Jack! We don't know what could happen to you!... You could die..."_

_"...As a samurai, it is necessary to make the ultimate sacrifice if need be... I am sorry I was unable to fight alongside you in my present condition until now... but, it has indeed been an honor aiding you..."_

I don't intend to kill off Jack either, despite the fact that he will follow his noble code to the very end and help Cleo at the cost of his life. I won't deny that I had been using a few Deus ex Machinas in this fanfic, with the Skribal Sword returning to Cleo, Oni giving her a second chance to fight, the Essences of Light reviving, the sudden revelation for a seal, and finally Jack giving her a powerful boost. Most of them are excusable because she's otherwise up against impossible odds. Don't forget she's still an eleven-year-old (granted an amazingly skilled eleven-year-old with super-soldier genes from her father and smarts from an intelligent spirit, but an eleven-year-old nonetheless) who needed a God in a Machine in these situations, because realistically there's no other way.

_"Finn... you can let go." He still had his arms wrapped around her middle and, catching a glimpse at her chest, quickly let go and looked away._

_"Thisisn'twhatyouthink!" Finn explained, red-faced._

Accidentally like his dad.

_After a build up of power and energy, the cocoon of light shrank, like it was condensing into something solid. Then it burst into an brilliant explosion and out popped a body. The light engulfing it melted away revealing human limbs, white robes, wooden sandals, a katana at the hip, a head hidden beneath a straw hat. The man floated back down, unmoving until his feet touched the ground. He looked at himself, his hands, down his own body, and at his feet. He lifted his head, his face finally showed from the wide brim of his hat, a kind Asian face with shining black eyes, and a thin scar across one of them._

For those who never watched SJ, this would be the first time readers see his true self (in a descriptive way). The scar was not really there in the cartoon, that little detail was only seen in an anime-like official art of him from Fusion Fall (Windows, 2009), an MMORPG game in the Cartoon Network universe with anime revamped characters exclusive to the popular channel.

_"Cleo, you are right. You did fight at the full potential you should ever have as a child. You are nowhere near my level of skill yet."_

_"Will I be as strong as you someday."_

_"With time and discipline, then yes you will..." A big smile grew on her face._

And Jack was right. She became incredibly skilled by the end of BT.

_The giant insects that were left in this realm and gave up the fight started a new life in the robot town._

I wrote so many different happy endings for the different characters and places in the Twilight Realm in one big paragraph. But this sentence wasn't in it at first. I suddenly thought about Aku's army and knew some readers are going to wonder what happened to them. This idea came to mind.

_The group was back at the base of the Blue Crater Volcano. They were now standing before the second Mirror of Twilight, the one that started the whole mess._

_"So this is where you came from Jack?" Midna asked._

_"Yes..."_

_"That would mean that it leads straight to Earth's alternate universe. You know, where Aku rules the world," confirmed Finn. "Speaking of which, whataya suppose happened to Flamebrow?"_

_"If I know him, he will have already found his way back there from wherever the vortex sent him."_

_"I'm guessing he's still feeling sore about it," Finn said, half amused yet anxious._

_"Well, of course. His defeat by a child was indeed, quite humiliating for him. Aku's threat of revenge is not to be taken lightly."_

_"So you're saying he'll come back?" Cleo asked. "To get me?"_

_Jack didn't answer, nor look at Cleo. Instead, he turned to Midna. "Princess, Cleo once told me that you are the only one who can shatter the mirror. Without it, Aku cannot possibly return to exact his revenge on my friends."_

_"But with the mirror gone, does this mean..." Cleo trailed off._

_Jack then turned to Cleo. "You knew this was coming. I too will return to that world and continue my quest to find a way back to the past. It is time we parted ways... forever." He walked up to her and kneeled down. "But even if we never see each other again, we will always be close... here." He pointed at each of their hearts. Cleo stood there for a moment and then they embraced one another._

The cartoon didn't really have a real finale, it was simply discontinued with the defeat of Aku and Jack's return to the past never having been officially concluded. In almost every episode, Jack had been _this_ close to either destroying his greatest enemy or getting through a time portal only to have that success yanked away at the last second. Because of this I could've had the story of SJ end differently this time in the fanfic. But I decided it would be best to just end the story the usual way.

_She suddenly thought of something, a once in a lifetime chance. "Jack, before you leave for good, I need to ask you one personal question!"_

_"And what would that be?" he asked curiously._

_"...What's your real name?"_

_Jack looked surprised at this. "No one has ever asked me that since I came to the future." He leaned his head next to her ear and whispered something to her too quietly for Finn or Midna to hear._

_Cleo had her eyes closed, like she was trying to take the words into her mind before they could escape her. "...I-I'll remember that... always."_

I also have no intention of thinking up a real name for Jack. I just stuck to the tradition of the cartoon and kept it a secret that _I_ don't even know. But if I were in Cleo's shoes, I'd ask him the same question if I got the chance. I did use Jack's name in the Japanese name generator on the Rum & Monkey website to see what it would turn out and the result is Kuroda Kinji (surname comes first in Japan). However, that result does not confirm that it's his real official name, whether you accept that's the case or not is entirely up to your speculations.

_They traveled back to the first Mirror of Twilight and said their goodbye to Midna. "See you later, guys," she bade. "Cleo, I want you to know that you will always be my dear sister."_

_"Thanks Mid," Cleo responded with gratitude._

There, Midna fully admits to Cleo as her real sister. The Twilight Princess had to accept that her twin, Veran, was gone and know that Cleo is closer to family than anyone else. Cleo, never having a sister herself, was happy to know Midna became one.

_Finn and Cleo, after finding their way back home to their realm, had quickly gone into the bathroom before he could see Cleo, so they could clean up all the scratches and scrapes she'd gotten from her battle._

_"Okay, that should be it," Finn said, finishing with the last cut. "You go on outside, I'll catch up with you."_

_The two parted and she ran into her dad. "What-Cleo, is that you? Did you do this to your costume on purpose?" he asked, looking at the scratches and messed up Link outfit._

_"Uh, yeah. I thought I'd go for an authentic battle worn look."_

_"It looks realistic, that must've taken a lotta work." Cleo felt slightly worried that he might realize it was real. "Tell me, what kind of boss battle was it?"_

_"Um, it was Aku?"_

_David laughed. "I'll bet that wasn't easy." He rubbed her head._

Even though he doesn't seem to realize the injuries were genuine, I'm sure in the back of his mind, he knew there's something going on. Their father had been a mercenary long before his kids were born, so he would know real damage when he sees it. But he didn't press on about it because he also had a feeling that Finn and Cleo were wanting to keep it a secret and would only tell him the truth when they feel ready (he did think the Aku part was made up).

_"Wait for me sis!" Finn came out of his room, wearing a blue shirt with a white animal hood and his green backpack. "It's adventure time!" Cleo burst out laughing._

I wonder how many people get the joke? Adventure Time with Finn & Jake (starting from 2010) is another Cartoon Network show and the main character is also named Finn, who's attire is what the Finn in the fanfic is wearing for Halloween. I never watched the show myself (I stopped watching CN ever since Toonami ended (1997-2008)), but I've seen a lot of merchandise and fan-made stuff, which means it's pretty popular.

_They went to the door and the first Trick-or-Treater they met made Cleo stop dead and stare. It was an Asian boy dressed in samurai armor. "Trick-or-Treat?"_

_It took a second to get her voice unstuck. He looked so much like her friend. "Are you the new kid, Watai?"_

_"Yes, I am Eiji."_

_"Konichiwa, I'm Cleo," she gave a bow and he bowed back._

And here is the other book end to the mention of Watai, the new gym teacher, and his son at the very first chapter. A good way to end this story, oh wait, this isn't it!

_"Can you give me a tour? This is my first Halloween," Eiji requested. Cleo happily agreed and they both ran off ahead while Finn followed behind as the sky turned into twilight._

_This_ is the good way to end Skribal Sword. With the convenient start of twilight on Halloween.

* * *

Well there you have it! The Fanfic is now complete. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be continuing with my writing. The next story is going to be LoZ: Lands of the Dead, which is another crossover. It will be posted soon (I don't know when yet) on Deviantart under the same username, so stay tuned. ;D


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